Findlay City Schools earned three stars overall on the 2026 Ohio School Report Card, down from three and a half stars last year, according to the Ohio Department of Education results reported by The Courier in Findlay. Both ratings carry the same state designation: the district meets state standards. District leaders told the school board this week that holding that designation took work, and that they intend to aim higher.
Several parts of the report card were unchanged from last year. The district again received three stars for Achievement, two stars for Early Literacy and four stars for Graduation. Those steady marks covered how students performed on state tests, how younger students are progressing in reading, and how many students finish high school.
Other parts of the card moved in opposite directions. Gap Closing, which looks at how student groups perform, fell to three stars from four stars last year. Progress, which measures the growth students make from one year to the next, fell to two stars from three. One component improved: College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness rose to three stars, up from two stars last year.
Superintendent Andy Hatton said keeping the meets-standards rating was “no easy task” after the district made $6 million in operating cuts last year. He also made clear that the current rating is not where the district wants to stay. “Three stars is not good enough,” Hatton said, adding that “the goal is always five stars across the board.”
The district’s finances have begun to change. Findlay City Schools started receiving money this spring from the earned income tax that voters approved in May 2025. With that revenue coming in, the district has announced about 20 added teaching and support positions for the 2026-27 school year, along with instructional coaches and five leadership posts.
Assistant Superintendent Katie Abbott described some of that work to the board on Monday, Oct. 19. She said instructional coaches now plan and model lessons together with teachers in the classroom. She also said each of the district’s 36 first-year teachers has a one-on-one mentor, giving new staff a direct source of support during their first year in Findlay.
For Findlay families, the report card shows a district that still meets state standards overall, with a strong graduation mark and an improved readiness rating, but with ground to make up on student progress and on closing gaps between student groups. District leaders say the added positions, coaching and mentoring put in place for 2026-27 are steps toward the five-star goal Hatton described.
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