South Ohio News

There were 522 ninth grade students enrolled in Highland County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 3.5% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Hillsboro High School welcomed most of the ninth grade students in the county, registering 164 students.

Within Highland County schools, the highest student count was found in first grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in pre-kindergarten.

Statewide, Highland County ranked 52nd in enrollment numbers, with a total of 6,546 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 52nd the year before.

In 2022, Ohio saw an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 1:15, which is an improvement for the state and is lower than the national average of 1:16.

Despite the apparent improvement, this positive trend is overshadowed by a general decline in public school enrollments, which was accelerated by the pandemic. This decline, aligned with the steady number of teachers in the state over the last 10 years, has led to low student-to-teacher ratios.

School name	# of 9th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Hillsboro High School	164	25.9	632
McClain High School	155	29.4	527
Lynchburg-Clay High School	83	27.6	301
Fairfield Local High School	70	28.1	249
Whiteoak High School	50	28.7	174
Hillsboro Middle School	0	0	483
Greenfield Middle School	0	0	400
Lynchburg-Clay Middle School	0	0	235
Fairfield Local Middle School	0	0	199
Whiteoak Junior High School	0	0	81
Bright Elementary School	0	0	458
Hillsboro Intermediate School	0	0	316
Lynchburg-Clay Elementary School	0	0	524
Fairfield Local Elementary School	0	0	447
Greenfield Elementary School	0	0	573
Rainsboro Elementary School	0	0	199
Hillsboro Primary School	0	0	310
Hillsboro Early Childhood Center	0	0	442