There were 770 ninth grade students in Ross County schools in 2023-24 school year

There were 770 ninth grade students enrolled in Ross County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.8% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Chillicothe High School welcomed most of the ninth grade students in the county, registering 207 students.

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

Statewide, Ross County ranked 36th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 9,575 students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year. It was also ranked 36th 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.