William Holmes McGuffey PK-8 Elementary School third-grade teacher Marc Ellis presents a math lesson to students in September 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Many students spent most of the 2020-21 school year learning remotely.

The three largest schools in the Mahoning Valley had some of the worst attendance rates and some of the least impressive graduation rates, according to 2020-21 Ohio School Report Cards.

Released Thursday by the Ohio Department of Education, the reports are different from previous years, with no letter grades. Enrollment figures, attendance rates, graduation rates and performance and teacher statistics were released, but no ratings or overall grades for districts or buildings were given, per a law passed by state lawmakers acknowledging “the various obstacles to education the pandemic has presented,” according to ODE.

ATTENDANCE, GRADUATION NUMBERS

The school districts in Austintown, Warren and Youngstown are the largest three in the Valley, each with more than 4,000 students. Youngstown is the largest district, with about 4,700 students, and has the worst attendance and graduation rates out of the two counties — a graduation rate of 87.3 percent and an attendance rate of 78.4 percent.

Youngstown City Schools CEO Justin Jennings said that even though attendance and graduation rates are low, the district does have the highest four-year / five-year graduation rate of any district in academic distress in the state, or out of the Ohio 8 — a group of Ohio’s eight urban school districts that includes Akron, Cleveland and Columbus.

“Although we are highly disappointed in the numbers, we will continue to work to improve the learning of our scholars. This is an ever-evolving process,” Jennings said.

The district was hurt by the pandemic, as it stole focus, he said. However, administrators will study the data to identify where and how to improve, Jennings said.

No other school district in the Mahoning Valley has an attendance rate under 90 percent, except Warren, with 85.4 percent.

Austintown’s district at 91.2 percent, Struthers and Campbell have some of the other lowest attendance rates in Mahoning County, while Liberty schools in Trumbull County came in the lowest with Warren.

Pete Pirone, superintendent of Struthers City Schools, said the pandemic hit the schools hard.

The district implemented a summer school, after school intervention program, tutoring and other programs and monitoring systems to identify and help kids falling behind, Pirone said.

Children who start school already behind on kindergarten and first-grade skills often have the most trouble, Pirone said. Socio-economic issues exacerbate the issue, he said.

However, the district has alternative programs and improvement programs to catch the students up and prepare them for life after graduation, he said.

While Youngstown is the largest city and school district in Mahoning County and has the lowest graduation rate there, the county’s smallest school district in Sebring isn’t far behind with a rate of 89.5 percent. That figure improved by 7.1 percentage points since the 2020 report.

Toni Viscounte, superintendent for Sebring schools, said a small graduating class — just 383 students are enrolled in the district — means that even one or two students signing themselves out at 18 “has a huge impact on the graduation percentage.”

The district is making efforts to improve, she said. The data lags behind one year.

“We identified students most at risk and implemented specific targeted strategies to ensure that our students had the proper pathway to achieve graduation. While we are not done, our efforts are paying off,” Viscounte said.

The Jackson-Milton Local School District has the second highest graduation rate at 98.4 percent and the district in Lowellville came in the highest at 100 percent, a figure matched by Bristol schools in Trumbull County.

“We take great pride and commitment toward academic achievement next to safety, as being our first and foremost priority. Our K-12 staff works seamlessly to ensure that kids graduate at the highest percentage rates (and) they are prepared to go on to achieve any of their aspirations,” said Eugene Thomas, superintendent of Lowellville schools.

The Poland and West Branch districts also had 2020 graduation rates at 98 percent or higher.

In Trumbull County, besides Bristol, the LaBrae district, Weathersfield schools and Maplewood schools had the highest graduation rates, all at 97.7 or higher.

“We are always proud of the great work of our entire district to graduate students at a high rate. The district continues to work as a team to maintain high standards for graduation and attendance,” said Damon Dohar, superintendent of Weathersfield schools.

John Vitto, assistant superintendent for Canfield schools, said the district is “proud” of its graduation and attendance rates. The district has the third-highest graduation rate of any Mahoning County district with 98.2 percent, one of the highest in the Valley as well. The rate rose by 0.2 percentage points over 2020. The district’s attendance rate is the third highest in Mahoning County at 95.5 percent.

Vitto said conducting in-person instruction with online options for students in quarantine was part of the key to their success. He also said high expectations set by teachers, parents and the students themselves has led to student success.

“Graduating from high school on time is an expectation in our community,” Vitto said.

Other aspects not measured by the report card also are important to the success of a school district, Vitto said.

“These indicators are not the only indicators that measure a good school community. The school climate is important — the opportunities for extracurricular activities, social and emotional variables — things a report can’t really measure,” Vitto said.

STATE SUPPORT

“While we do not have as much information as we normally would, schools and districts can use the data in this year’s report cards to guide decisions about where and how to focus time, efforts and resources that will best serve their students in the midst of pandemic-related challenges,” said Dr. Stephanie K. Siddens, interim state superintendent of public instruction.

Visit reportcard.education.ohio.gov to explore the data.

The ODE is providing resources and support to help districts make “student-centric decisions that lead to improvements.”

The education community in the state has shown great perseverance throughout the pandemic, Siddens said.

“The entire education community continues to model perseverance, dedication and resilience despite challenges that still exist both inside and outside the classroom. I commend districts and schools across the state for their commitment to innovation and creativity as they continue to ensure students, educators and staff are healthy, safe and successful every day,” she said.