Lakota Local Schools earned 4.5 out of 5 stars on the 2025-2026 Ohio State Report Card for a third straight year.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released the ratings Tuesday, Sept. 15. WCPO confirmed Lakota's 4.5-star overall mark among Butler County districts. This year's results include the district's highest-ever student growth score, a first-time gifted-education milestone and a full-star jump in post-graduation readiness.
Three results stand out.
Record growth, near-perfect progress
Lakota's single-year growth index score was the highest in district history, according to the district's report card summary. That score alone would have pushed the Progress component to 5 stars, but the state uses a three-year weighted average. The final Progress rating landed at 4 stars, just .01 short of the top mark.
Rebecca Tompkins, Lakota's executive director of curriculum and instruction, said the gains get harder to achieve as students improve. "The higher a student starts, the steeper the hill they must climb to demonstrate the 'above expected' growth required of this component," Tompkins said.
Gifted indicator exceeded for the first time
Lakota exceeded the state's Gifted Performance Indicator for achievement for the first time in district history. The indicator measures gifted students' performance on state tests. Tompkins credited a gifted-education model introduced about five years ago that expanded early access to advanced coursework.
The gifted milestone also boosted Lakota's Gap Closing component, which improved from 72.9% to 77.1% of goals met while holding at 5 stars.
Post-graduation readiness jumps a full star
The College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR) component rose from 2 stars to 3 stars. Seventy percent of last year's graduates completed a qualifying college or career experience, up from 62% the year before.
Lakota has expanded its catalog of advanced, honors, AP and College Credit Plus courses by 27% over the past three years. Superintendent Ashley Whitely said the district is also building career-focused "Purposeful Pathways" in fields like biomedical science, engineering, cybersecurity and INCubatorEDU that are not captured by the state report card. Whitely said those programs exist because they serve students, not because they earn report card credit.
Full component breakdown
Ohio rates districts across six areas on a 1-to-5-star scale. Lakota's scores:
- Achievement: 4 stars (Performance Index rose from 96.2 to 97.1)
- Progress: 4 stars (highest-ever single-year growth index)
- Gap Closing: 5 stars (77.1% of goals met, up from 72.9%)
- Early Literacy: 3 stars
- Graduation: 4 stars (99.5% graduation rate at Lakota East and Lakota West, 95% at Lakota Central)
- CCWMR: 3 stars (up from 2)
The district noted that its K-2 and 3-6 building configuration creates a structural challenge for the Early Literacy component, which held steady at 3 stars.
What's ahead
Lakota's annual Quality Profile, a printed publication mailed to every West Chester and Liberty Township household, will be released in the coming months. The 17,249-student district also has a bond issue on the Nov. 3 ballot tied to its Master Facilities Plan. The voter registration deadline for that election is Oct. 5.
