Ohio School Report Cards: Fewer students missing school

OHIO — The Ohio Department of Education has released its 2024-25 report card, which highlights progress and downfalls in schools across the state. 

A few notable improvements this year compared to previous years were the decrease in chronic absenteeism, as well as the improvement of workforce readiness. 

Absenteeism

According to the report, chronic absenteeism is on a downward trend across the state. This year marked the lowest percentage of absences across the state since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For the 2024-25 school year, officials reported 25.1% absenteeism — a stark decline from the 30.2% reported for the 2022-23 school year. The department attributed the decline to targeted interventions and increased engagement. Efforts have included a multi-organization partnership with Stay in the Game! Network, which promotes the importance of students showing up and staying engaged. 

As part of keeping students healthy and encouraging them to come to school, Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, R-Ohio, have worked to expand school-based health centers. According to the Ohio Department of Health, the school-based health centers save students an average of three hours of classroom seat time. 

There are currently 138 centers in operation, 43% of which have opened in the past five years, and they have served more than 70,000 patients statewide. 

Other recent efforts include the newly launched Team Tressel Fitness Challenge for grades 4-8, which encourages students to set and achieve wellness goals, implement health habits in and out of the classroom, and focus on overall nutrition and exercise. To reduce distractions in schools, DeWine signed legislation this year that required all schools to adopt a cellphone policy by Jan. 1, 2026. 

“In schools that have already banned cellphones, feedback from students, teachers, administrators and parents indicates that students are more engaged in their learning, performing better academically, and building stronger connections with one another,” the Ohio Department of Health stated in the report. 

However, despite the decline, the Ohio Department of Education noted that about one in four students still miss more than 10% of the school year. The Ohio Department of Education added that students with disabilities experience a higher absenteeism rate than their peers.

Workforce readiness

This year marked the first year the Ohio School Report Cards included a rating for College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness component. 

According to the report, 61.4% of students who graduated in 2024 met at least one of Ohio’s 11 postsecondary readiness measures, which is a jump from 56.3% in 2023. In 2024, more students had a head start on college — 16% of them earned at least 12 college credits, which is an increase from 13.8% in 2023. 

“These gains reflect a strong focus on career readiness, driven by strategic investments in career-technical education that prepare students with the skills and credentials needed for success beyond high school,” the Ohio Department of Health noted in the report. 

To view your school or school district’s grades, click here.