WARREN– As another school year begins, Mahoning Valley districts are poring over their latest Ohio report cards, released today by the state Department of Education and Workforce. The scores show some bright spots amid ongoing challenges, highlighting how well schools help students read early, grow academically and prepare for life after graduation.

Among the highlights, Youngstown City Schools showed improvements in achievement, Warren City Schools remained the same as last year, but 15 districts in Mahoning and Trumbull counties saw their overall scores decline.

These annual cards rate schools on six key areas: achievement on state tests, student progress from past scores, closing gaps for underserved kids, graduation rates, early reading skills for K-3 students, and readiness for college, careers or military service. Overall ratings use a one-to five-star scale, where one star means a district needs major help to hit state goals, three stars means it meets them, and five stars means it far exceeds them.

In Mahoning County, five districts climbed higher this year. Austintown jumped to four stars from 3.5, boosting its gap-closing score while dipping a bit in early literacy. Sebring rose from 2.5 to 3.5, with strong gains in early reading and graduations. Struthers hit four stars from 3.5, improving in gap closing and progress. West Branch reached 4.5 from four, advancing in progress despite a slip in early literacy; other areas held steady. Youngstown edged up to 2.5 from two.

Across Trumbull County, three districts improved. Brookfield went to 3.5 from three, gaining in gap closing but dropping in graduation while the rest stayed even. Newton Falls rose to 3.5 from three, with lifts in achievement, progress and gap closing. Niles also hit 3.5 from three, advancing in early literacy and progress.

But not all news was good as Howland, Joseph Badger Local, Lakeview, Liberty, Lordstown, Mathews, McDonald, Weathersfield and Bloomfield-Mespo all saw their ratings fall. Seven others, including Warren at a steady 2.5, kept the same overall scores as last year, with no big changes in their overall district metrics.

Technical schools across both counties continued their 5-star success as Trumbull Career and Technical Center, Mahoning County Career Technical Center and Choffin Career & Technical Center all stayed the course.