South Ohio News

There were 538 ninth grade students enrolled in Highland County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.1% more 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 176 students.

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

Statewide, Highland County ranked 52nd in enrollment numbers, with a total of 6,456 students enrolled in the 2023-24 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	176	29	607
McClain High School	155	28.5	544
Lynchburg-Clay High School	85	31.8	267
Fairfield Local High School	70	29.4	238
Whiteoak High School	52	31.5	165
Bright Elementary School	0	0	440
Fairfield Local Elementary School	0	0	430
Rainsboro Elementary School	0	0	214
Hillsboro Primary School	0	0	355
Hillsboro Early Childhood Center	0	0	435
Greenfield Elementary School	0	0	558
Lynchburg-Clay Elementary School	0	0	506
Hillsboro Intermediate School	0	0	309
Whiteoak Junior High School	0	0	86
Fairfield Local Middle School	0	0	206
Lynchburg-Clay Middle School	0	0	229
Greenfield Middle School	0	0	377
Hillsboro Middle School	0	0	486