Garfield Heights City Schools slipped from 3 stars to 2.5 stars on Ohio's newly released 2025-26 report card, a step backward that arrives as chronic absenteeism continues to grip more than 6 in 10 students across the district. The rating covers the 2025-26 school year and reflects a district still meeting state standards only marginally, even as officials try to stabilize both attendance and finances ahead of a November levy vote.
The district's overall performance index, a measure that accounts for the achievement level of every student, fell from 55.2 in 2024-25 to 52.5 this year, according to Cleveland.com, whose reporting on the report card release forms the backbone of the district's latest numbers. That score sits well below the statewide average performance index of 82.8, and the district's overall 2.5-star rating trails the average Ohio district rating of 3.8 stars. A rating of at least three stars means a district meets state standards, while five stars indicates a district significantly exceeds them, and one star signals a district needs significant support.
Garfield Heights received two stars for achievement, three stars for progress, three stars for graduation, four out of five stars for college, career, workforce and military readiness, and just one star each for early literacy and gap closing, per the same report. The district's graduation rate stood at 91.6%, below the 96.1% state average, with more than a third of Ohio districts posting graduation rates of 98% or higher.
Testing Numbers Remain Stubbornly Low
Proficiency figures released with the report card, which represent the share of students scoring proficient or better, show steep gaps in core subjects. Eighth-grade math proficiency landed at just 12%, eighth-grade science proficiency at 22.2%, and eighth-grade English language arts proficiency at 18.1%. Third-grade English language arts proficiency fared somewhat better at 39.1%, though it still lags far behind statewide norms, according to the same account from the outlet.
Early literacy, which tracks reading improvement and proficiency for kindergarten through third-grade students, was one of the district's weakest categories. The report card identifies early literacy as an area of weakness.
Absenteeism Still the District's Biggest Obstacle
Chronic absenteeism, which counts students missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason, reached 61.9% districtwide among the 2,542 students counted for the metric, according to the report card figures cited by the outlet. That rate towers over Ohio's average chronic absenteeism rate of 23.9%. Gap closing, the category that includes reducing chronic absenteeism, supporting English learners, and identifying gifted students, was among the categories where Garfield Heights received just one star.
At Garfield Heights High School specifically, the chronic absenteeism rate reached 72.0% among its 859 enrolled students, substantially higher than the 61.9% rate reported across the entire district, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Statewide, more than a quarter of students were chronically absent during the 2024-25 school year, according to edCircuit.
New state rules are meant to catch the problem earlier. Ohio House Bill 96, enacted in 2025 with full district implementation required by August 1, 2026, overhauled state attendance regulations by requiring schools to track all missed instructional time, excused or unexcused, and issue early warnings to families once a student hits 5% missed time, before reaching the 10% chronic absenteeism threshold, per edCircuit's reporting. The law shifts state policy toward proactive family communication rather than automatic truancy court filings.
The district has also tried more direct incentives. In February, the Cleveland Browns Give Back initiative awarded new shoes to 30 Garfield Heights Middle School students who improved their attendance from at-risk to satisfactory levels; the students could customize the shoes, and the district received an additional 36 Nike shoes, according to the Cleveland Browns. Garfield Heights City Schools joined the statewide Stay in the Game! Attendance Network during the 2021-22 school year.
Middle School Trails Other Buildings
Building-level results were reported separately across the district, with the middle school's academic growth and achievement metrics trailing those of the other two buildings.
The district's overall rating has swung rather than steadily declined. Garfield Heights raised its overall state report card rating from 2 stars to 3 stars in September 2025, only to fall back to 2.5 stars on the 2026 report card, according to Garfield Heights City Schools.
Leadership Change Precedes November Levy Vote
The academic slide comes amid leadership turnover at the top of the district. In June, Garfield Heights Board of Education President Ashley Thomas-Jefferson resigned, and the board approved an interim superintendent employment contract with Samuel Bottsford, according to Citizen Portal. Dr. Richard Reynolds had served as superintendent of the district since August 2022.
Issue 6 is described as a five-year renewal levy with a potential $4.1 million shortfall. Officials warned that failure to pass the levy would force severe budget cuts, including staffing reductions, program eliminations, and potential building closures. The renewal represents existing operating funding first passed in 2012 and would not raise local property tax rates.
Voters have shown resistance to school funding measures in recent years. In one Garfield Heights precinct in the November 2024 general election, 51.50% voted against and 48.50% voted in favor, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. The district's academic recovery efforts remain tightly bound to whether it can stabilize both attendance and its operating budget.
