Ohio school report cards are up statewide — how did Mansfield and Richland County districts fare?

Mansfield City Schools moved the other way this month.

The state’s 2025-26 report cards, released September 15 by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, showed Ohio’s English language arts proficiency at 62.2 percent, a five-year high, and math proficiency at 56.4 percent. Mansfield City Schools’ Performance Index fell to 60.4, down from 61.2 the year before, according to a Cleveland.com ranking of all 607 Ohio districts.

The release marked the first full year of the state’s Science of Reading mandate, which required phonics-based instruction and banned three-cueing. Chronic absenteeism fell statewide to 23.9 percent, down from 25.1 percent, and kindergarten literacy readiness rose by 16,900 children — more than 17 percent.

How Richland County fared

Madison Local Schools earned 3.5 overall stars and a Performance Index of 78.8, with chronic absenteeism at 20.1 percent — better than the statewide 23.9 percent. Mansfield City Schools earned an overall three-star rating, with an Achievement description indicating the district needs support to meet state standards.

The state’s one-to-five-star scale rates districts on achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation, early literacy, and college, career, workforce and military readiness; three stars means meeting state standards, and four or five means exceeding them. More than 90 percent of Ohio districts earned three stars or higher.

The Mansfield News Journal’s September 17 roundup found all ten Richland County public school districts received passing grades: Shelby City, Ontario Local, Lexington Local, Mansfield City, Crestline Exempted Village, Plymouth-Shiloh Local, Clear Fork Valley Local, Madison Local, Crestview Local, and Lucas Local.

Where the gains stopped locally

Even with the statewide gains, roughly 38 percent of Ohio students are still not proficient in English language arts and 44 percent are not proficient in math. The gains were broad, not concentrated: English language arts proficiency increased across all ten demographic groups the state tracks, according to Spectrum News 1.

In Richland County, the places where the gains stopped are specific. Madison Local Schools made gains overall, but early literacy remains a challenge on its 2025-26 report card, according to Cleveland.com. Mansfield City Schools’ falling Performance Index — 60.4, down from 61.2 — leaves the county’s largest district moving the opposite direction from the state’s celebrated gains.

A change in how Ohio calculates its early literacy measure is expected to lower early literacy scores across many districts, even as overall achievement and gap-closing ratings improve.

What it means at home

For Madison, the early-literacy challenge means the youngest readers are where the work remains as the Science of Reading takes hold. For Mansfield, the falling Performance Index is the number families should watch: the next report card will show whether the district’s reading and math instruction turns that number around.