Ross Local School District will move students out of the Ross Intermediate School building next year as the district shifts grades and buildings to address falling enrollment and funding uncertainty.
According to District Superintendent Dr. Bill Rice, enrollment is down by about 400 students. Officials recently approved a realignment plan for the 2026-2027 school year to move students into different buildings.
"Nine years ago, we were at 2,800. Now, we're around 2,400. If you look at classes in the senior high building of 220 with elementary classes at 155, you'll continue to see that number getting smaller," Rice said.
Starting next school year, fifth graders will move to Ross Middle School, while fourth graders will attend Elda or Morgan elementary schools.
WATCH: What you should know about the Grade Realignment for 2026–2027:
"Our enrollment office and EMIS, our data entry office, those have been moved out to the middle school; they'll transition back here," Rice said.
The district also plans to develop a District Welcome Center and other district-wide functions in the Ross Intermediate School Building.
Rice, who is entering his second year in the role, says the district has seen a steady drop in students over recent years.
The shifts are driven in part by slower residential growth locally, failed development plans near schools and rising home prices that put the area out of reach for many young families, Rice said.
"So we're not seeing that continuous cycle of new families moving in, and just speaking honestly, our housing isn't that affordable," Rice said. "In the Ross Local School District, the houses that are being built are pretty expensive, so that's really hard for a new family that would have brand new young children entering a school system to afford as their first home."
Residents in the Ross Trails neighborhood reported that homes in the area are now selling for $600,000 to $700,000, which is triple what they once cost.
Rice said uncertainty around Ohio's school funding formula and potential property tax reforms adds pressure on budgets and the need to seek alternative plans.
"So, in the eyes of the state of Ohio, this is an upper-middle-class community, so they feel like this community can contribute more in local tax dollars to public education," Rice said. "What that means is then their funding shifts down, they say, to make that up, you have to go to your voters and ask them for more. Well, who wants to pay more taxes, right?"
Despite the financial uncertainty, Rice said the district is hopeful the new plan, a model they've used in the past, will work.
"We're excited about where this could take the community," said Rice.
