CPS shows steady performance and growth in key areas

By Joe Wessels, CPS Communicatioons

Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) received its School Year 2024–25 Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) Report Card, maintaining a 2.5-star Overall rating. The overall data demonstrate steady performance and continued growth, with positive indicators in multiple components. CPS improved in 16 of 20 tested areas – up from 13 last year – with notable gains in mathematics, graduation and college and career readiness.

“Our District continues to demonstrate growth across many measures,” Superintendent Shauna Murphy said. “We are especially encouraged by the strong improvements in readiness and graduation rates. These results reflect the dedication of our students, staff and families, and while we celebrate this momentum, we know there is more work to do, particularly around attendance.”

CPS’s Board President added she is pleased with how things are progressing within the District, while keeping an eye toward future improvements.

“These results show the hard work of our students, teachers, and families paying off,” said Dr. Kareem Moffett, president of the CPS Board of Education. “We are seeing encouraging progress in graduation, and we know that tackling attendance will help us unlock even greater growth. The board remains committed to making progress and knows we have more work to do. We thank our dedicated educators and staff, ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive.”

Overall Rating:

• District earned 2.5 stars, the same as last year
• Overall points increased to 1.875, up from 1.822 last year
• 56% (24 of 43) elementary schools earned 3 or 4 stars
• 65% (28 of 43) elementary schools maintained or improved their rating
• 33% (6 of 18) high schools earned 3–5 stars
• 83% (15 of 18) of high schools maintained or improved their rating

The College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness (CCWMR) component measures how well-prepared students are for future opportunities after high school, including postsecondary education, the workforce or military service. For the first time, this component is officially included in the State’s rating system. CPS earned three stars with 63 percent of students in the 2024 graduation cohort demonstrating readiness, up from 45.4 percent reported last year when the measure was not rated. Ten of 18 CPS high schools earned three or four stars in this component.

CCWMR Component:

• District earned 3 stars in the first year this component was rated
• 63% readiness rate, up from 45.4% last year (reported only, not rated)
• 56% (10 of 18) high schools earned 3 or 4 stars

The weighted Graduation Rate for 2024 graduates increased to 85.7 percent, earning two stars, up from one star last year. Twelve of 18 CPS high schools maintained or improved their rating at two stars or better, and six high schools earned three or more stars. The district continues to focus on strategies to strengthen graduation outcomes, including targeted counseling, attendance supports and expanded readiness pathways for students.

Graduation Rate Component: 

• District earned 2 stars, up from 1 star last year
• 85.7% graduation rate, up from 83.3%
• 67% (12 of 18) of schools maintained or improved their rating at 2 stars or better
• 33% (6 of 18) schools earned 3–5 stars

CPS’s Early Literacy rating held steady at two stars for the 2024–25 school year. The Early Literacy component measures reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade by assessing proficiency in third-grade reading, promotion to fourth grade and improvement in K–3 literacy over time. Sixty-one percent of schools rated on this measure maintained or improved their rating at two stars or better, and 37 percent earned three, four or five stars. The district continues to implement targeted strategies to improve literacy, including support from reading specialists, expanded intervention for students in grades 3–6, data literacy training for teachers and administrators and ongoing Science of Reading professional development for all K–3 teachers.

Early Literacy Component: 

• District maintained 2 stars
• Overall percentage: 64.5%, down slightly from 64.9% last year
• 61% (28 of 46) schools rated on this measure maintained or improved at 2 stars or better
• 37% (17 of 46) schools earned 3–5 stars

CPS earned two stars in the Achievement component, with the District’s Performance Index rising to 62.8 percent from 60.5 percent last year. Overall, 16 of 20 tested areas showed growth, reflecting broad-based improvement across grade levels and subjects. Eighty-four percent of elementary schools maintained or improved their rating at two stars or better, while half of high schools maintained or improved their rating at two stars or better. The Achievement component measures student performance on all state-tested areas of accountability. CPS prioritized math instruction and targeted support at the high school level, which contributed to many of the gains reflected in this year’s results.

Achievement Component: 

• District maintained 2 stars
• Performance Index rose to 62.8% from 60.5%
• 80% (16 of 20) of the tested areas showed growth
• 84% (36 of 43) elementary schools maintained or improved their rating at 2 stars or better
• 50% (9 of 18) of high schools maintained or improved their rating at 2 stars or better

The Progress component evaluates student growth in relation to past performance. CPS earned two stars overall, the same as last year. Sixty-five percent of elementary schools maintained or improved their rating at two stars or better, and 63 percent earned three or more stars. Among high schools, 83 percent maintained or improved at two stars or better, and 56 percent earned three or more stars. The state’s detailed Value-Added data, which will provide a deeper look at growth trends, will be released in October.

Progress Component:

• District maintained 2 stars
• Detailed numerical data to be released with Value-Added in mid-October
• 65% (28 of 43) elementary schools maintained or improved at 2 stars or better
• 63% (27 of 43) elementary schools earned 3 or more stars
• 83% (15 of 18) of high schools maintained or improved at 2 stars or better
• 56% (10 of 18) of high schools earned 3 or more stars

In the Gap Closing component, CPS earned two stars overall. The District met graduation goals in three of nine student subgroups, up from one of nine in 2023–24. Sixty percent of elementary schools maintained or improved their rating at two stars or better, and 49 percent earned three, four or five stars. Among high schools, 33 percent maintained or improved at two stars or better, while 22 percent earned three or more stars. The Gap Closing component measures how well the District and schools meet performance expectations in English language arts, mathematics and graduation, as well as progress in supporting English learners, reducing chronic absenteeism and serving gifted students. CPS’ rating declined this year largely because the District did not meet the chronic absenteeism indicator, which carries significant weight in the calculation. 

Gap Closing Component: 

• District decreased to 2 stars, from 3 stars last year
• District met graduation goals in 3 of 9 subgroups, up from 1 of 9 last year
• 60% (26 of 43) elementary schools maintained or improved at 2 stars or better
• 49% (21 of 43) elementary schools earned 3–5 stars
• 33% (6 of 18) of high schools maintained or improved at 2 stars or better
• 22% (4 of 18) high schools earned 3–5 stars

Superintendent Shauna Murphy said, “This year’s report card shows steady overall performance with encouraging progress in key areas. We improved in 16 of 20 tested subjects, raised our graduation rate to 85.7 percent and saw more students prepared for college, career, the workforce and military service as CPS earned three stars in readiness for the first time. These results reflect the dedication of our students, staff and families. At the same time, we know chronic absenteeism held us back from reaching the next level. We remain committed to addressing attendance while deepening our whole-child supports and expanding opportunities that prepare every student for success after graduation.”

The Ohio 8 districts are Akron City, Canton City, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cleveland Municipal, Columbus City Schools District, Dayton City, Toledo City and Youngstown City. 

For more information about DEW’s report cards, visit: https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/