South Ohio News

There were 416 12th grade students enrolled in Highland County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 6.9% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

McClain High School welcomed most of the 12th grade students in the county, registering 140 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 12th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
McClain High School	140	25.7	544
Hillsboro High School	138	22.7	607
Fairfield Local High School	53	22.3	238
Lynchburg-Clay High School	52	19.5	267
Whiteoak High School	33	20	165
Hillsboro Middle School	0	0	486
Greenfield Middle School	0	0	377
Lynchburg-Clay Middle School	0	0	229
Fairfield Local Middle School	0	0	206
Whiteoak Junior High School	0	0	86
Hillsboro Intermediate School	0	0	309
Lynchburg-Clay Elementary School	0	0	506
Greenfield Elementary School	0	0	558
Hillsboro Early Childhood Center	0	0	435
Hillsboro Primary School	0	0	355
Rainsboro Elementary School	0	0	214
Fairfield Local Elementary School	0	0	430
Bright Elementary School	0	0	440