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In addition to moving up in the overall rankings, TPS saw
continuing growth in more specific areas. Students are
graduating at an increased rate. When looking at all
students, the graduation rate reached 79.2 percent, up from
71.4 percent the year before. Over the last five years,
graduation rates have increased 15.2 percent.
Among African-American students, the graduation rate
exceeded 80 percent, which represents a 15.2 percent
increase over the last five years and a 7.7 percent increase
over last year alone. Scott High School had the biggest
increase in graduation rate in the entire district, netting
a 28 percent improvement.
Data also shows that TPS students are increasingly well
prepared for their life after high school. Over 91 percent
of students who followed a career tech pathway in high
school either entered employment, enrolled in higher
education or enlisted in the military after graduation. The
district’s “Prepared for Success” score increased for the
second straight year, as did dual-enrollment/college
credits, which is nearly double what it was two years ago.
Early childhood education also saw significant improvement
over the previous year. The percentage of students passing
the Kindergarten to third grade literacy test nearly
doubled. Over 87 percent of students passed the Third Grade
Reading Guarantee, nearly a 14 percent improvement over
three years before.
These results are a reflection in the investment in early
childhood education at the Toledo Public Schools. Data
consistently shows that students from TPS early childhood
education are readier for kindergarten than students who are
not from TPS early childhood education. District leaders
feel there is two academic hurdles a student must overcome.
One is the third grade reading proficiency tests and
successfully navigating through the guidelines surrounding
high school graduation.
Overall enrollment increased for the fifth straight year.
In fact, TPS has added 1,801 students over the last five
years, or the equivalent of 72 new classrooms of students.
The district continues to serve a diverse and sometimes
challenged population. Enrollment among economically
disadvantaged students has increased more than 6,000
students in the last five years, for example.
Moving forward, the district remains committed to improving
educational outcomes for students. That commitment starts
with the very youngest children in early childhood education
and continues throughout their academic career, all with the
goal of having every student be “college or career” ready.
Toledo Public Schools is the most comprehensive school
district in northwest Ohio offering more than 35 career
technology options, advanced placement courses, seven
different foreign languages and 12 associate degrees. The
investment the district is making in preparing students for
the future is paying off and the success show this year’s
report card results.
In reviewing the results, the district emphasized that it
welcomes transparency about its performance but believes the
State Report Card continues to give a woefully incomplete
picture of public education in this and other urban
districts.
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