The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Southside Academy
Southside Academy is a single-school, public charter district serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Youngstown. The school sits at a point of transition: it operates Project Lead The Way curriculum currently and is working toward licensed STEAM school status, which will anchor its instructional identity going forward around science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics integration.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and smaller shares of students identifying as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and white. Enrollment is small for the grade band, distributed fairly evenly across grades K through 8. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch data and rates of special education or English learner designation were not available in the school records.
On Ohio's State Tests in spring 2025, proficiency results show persistent academic challenge. In English language arts, around two-fifths of third- through eighth-grade students scored at proficiency (levels 3-5). Math proficiency ran slightly lower. Science proficiency, reported on a smaller tested cohort, was lower still. These results place the school in the bottom quartile of overall proficiency when compared to other districts in Mahoning County. Historical data from social studies testing in 2017 are too dated and sparse to reflect current readiness.
A parent should understand that current state-tested performance does not meet typical benchmarks in any subject. The school's size is genuinely small, which can mean closer relationships and more individualized attention but also less diversity of staff expertise and extracurricular depth. The STEAM pathway the school is pursuing is an explicit curricular direction meant to engage students through applied, hands-on learning; this represents a school intentionality worth exploring with administrators, as does how Project Lead The Way sits within that framework.
Youngstown itself is a post-industrial city in long-term population decline, though recent years show that decline slowing. Neighborhood character around the school on Oak Hill Avenue in south Youngstown is largely residential with older housing stock. The broader city has concentrated its recent recovery and investment downtown and along the Youngstown State University corridor, leaving other residential areas less touched by redevelopment. Home values in the area are modest relative to state benchmarks. Mill Creek Park, one of the largest metropolitan parks in the country, serves the south and west sides and offers trails, lakes, and gardens. Public transit is fare-free through the Western Reserve Transit Authority.
A parent considering Southside Academy would do well to visit the school, discuss the STEAM transition directly with leadership, understand how instruction is currently differentiated given the proficiency gaps, and ask about supports for students entering the school below grade-level benchmark in core subjects. The school's charter independence means standard district tax base and accountability structures do not apply; the school's performance and direction rest primarily on its governance and leadership.
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