The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Richard Allen Preparatory
Richard Allen Preparatory is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Dayton, located on Odlin Avenue. The enrollment is small, concentrated in the earlier grades, with progressively fewer students in the upper elementary and middle grades.
The school's state test results show persistent challenges across the board. In the 2024-25 school year, fewer than a fifth of students tested met proficiency in English language arts, and the proficiency rate in math was even lower. Science proficiency, based on a smaller tested population, was similarly low. On the overall proficiency index calculated across tested subjects, Richard Allen Preparatory sits in the bottom quartile relative to other school districts in Montgomery County. One year of data does not establish a trend, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about prior-year results and what instructional changes are underway.
The student body is overwhelmingly African American, with minimal racial or ethnic diversity otherwise. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and special education enrollment numbers were not available in the public record, so a parent would want to ask the school about student economic need and special services directly.
The school's curriculum approach centers on the Imagine Learning EL Education platform, adopted district-wide. EL Education emphasizes project-based learning, student collaboration, and production of quality work, with an explicit reading-development strand. This is the instructional model that shapes daily classroom experience in both the kindergarten-through-second-grade and third-through-eighth-grade configurations.
Dayton itself is a mid-sized city with a revitalizing downtown anchored by the Schuster Performing Arts Center, RiverScape MetroPark, and cultural venues, alongside historic residential neighborhoods like South Park and the Oregon District with walkable streetscapes. The regional economy is dominated by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and a substantial healthcare sector. Housing values in the school's zip code are below state and national benchmarks, and median rent is stable. The city's public library system and Five Rivers MetroParks provide community resources, and bus transit connects neighborhoods via the RTA.
A parent considering Richard Allen Preparatory would be enrolling in a small charter school with a progressive curriculum design, but with test results that warrant a direct conversation with leadership about instructional effectiveness, prior-year performance, and how the school is addressing the proficiency gap.
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