CINCINNATI — After improving its overall state score slightly last year, Cincinnati Public Schools has improved some areas but slipped in others to stay at an overall rating of 2.5 stars out of 5 in the 2025 state report card.
The 2025 state report card is for the 2024-2025 school year.
The district's 2.5 rating is its overall score, but that rating is comprised of five different components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation and Early Literacy. New this year, another category is impacting scores: College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness.
Cincinnati Public Schools earned a 2-star rating in all of those categories but one: College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness. In that category, the state says CPS meets state standards.
CPS improved its graduation score from last year's state report card; the score is now two stars, up from just one last year. However, the state notes the district still "needs support to meet state standards in graduation rates."
Last year, the state reported just 84.6% of CPS students who entered ninth grade in the fall of 2019 graduated in four years. This year, that four-year graduation rate has improved to 86.1%.
While that may not seem like a huge improvement, CPS was given a one-star rank for the 2022 through 2023 school year after just 80% of CPS students graduated in four years.
However, the district's 2.5 rating overall signals it's fallen in other categories while improving in graduation rates. Last year's report card gave CPS three stars in the category of Gap Closing, which the report card says meets state standards in closing educational gaps.
This year, the district slipped down to just two stars in that category, with the state noting it "needs support to meet state standards in closing educational gaps."
"Our district continues to demonstrate growth across many measures," said Superintendent Shauna Murphy in a press release. "We are especially encourage by the strong improvements in readiness and graduation rates. These results reflect the dedication of our students, staff and families, and while we celebrate this momentum, we know there is more work to do, particularly around attendance."
Overall, the district's chronic absenteeism rate also got worse. Last year, the state reported that 43.5% of all CPS students were chronically absent; This year, the state says that number is up to 45.6%.
The State of Ohio defines chronic absence as a student missing 10% or more of the school year or any reason, including excused, medically excused, unexcused and suspensions.
Still, CPS says it improved in 16 out of 20 state-tested areas; last year it had improved 13 different areas from the previous year. The district says it made "notable gains" in math, graduation and college and career readiness.
The district has been through a lot of administrative changes in the last few years: CPS named Iranetta Wright as its new superintendent in February of 2022, but by May 2024, she'd submitted her resignation after all six unions within CPS gave Wright a vote of no confidence.
Later on in May that year, CPS tapped Shauna Murphy, the CPS chief of student, family and community engagement, as its interim superintendent. Murphy was voted into the position permanently in November last year.
How districts other than Cincinnati Public Schools fared in the 2024-2025 school year
Lakota Local Schools, the second-largest school district in the Greater Cincinnati region — that's located in Ohio — rated the same as last year as well, staying firm at a 4.5 rating that exceeds state standards. The district earned that same rating last year, which had been an improvement over its 3.5 star rating earned for the 2022-2023 school year.
Just like last year, Lakota Local Schools gained four stars — or more, in the case of the district's 5-star rating in Gap Closing — in every category except for Early Literacy. In that category, the district got three stars, which is the same as last year. Still, the state says that rating meets state standards.
Lakota Local Schools only got two stars in the state's new rating of College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness, however. The state noted the district "needs support to meet state standards" in that category.
Lakota Local students have a 94.8% four-year graduation rate and its chronic absenteeism rate is low, at just 13.6%. However, Lakota Local Schools serve 16,827 students while Cincinnati Public Schools has 34,390 students enrolled.
Following recent financial turmoil, Mount Healthy School District is not faring better than CPS in its state rating. In May, district officials approved a five-year financial plan to address serious budget challenges after voters rejected a levy earlier this month.
For the 2024-2025 school year, Mount Healthy schools earned a 2.5-star rating overall. However, its category ratings show a 3-star rating in College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness could be buoying that score.
Mount Healthy schools got just one star in both Achievement and Early Literacy, a rating the state says shows it "needs significant support to meet state standards." The district was given two stars in Progress, Gap Closing and Graduation. With around 2,630 students enrolled in the district, its four-year graduation rate was ranked at 91.2%, but its chronic absenteeism rate was at 51.1%.
You can find your district's scores below:
