Original Research by School Decision on North High School
North High School is a public high school in Akron serving grades nine through twelve, located in a city undergoing active civic and economic reinvestment. The school sits within Akron City Schools, a district that has undergone major structural change in recent years and is in the midst of a significant capital project directly tied to this building.
The student body is diverse: roughly one-third Asian, one-third Black, and smaller shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. The school has an enrollment of roughly a thousand students across the four high school grades. Enrollment data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations were not available, so a parent may want to contact the school directly about the share of students receiving services or qualifying for meal support.
State assessment results from the most recent reporting year show proficiency rates well below what the field typically reports as meeting grade-level standard. In English language arts, fewer than one in five students met proficiency. Mathematics proficiency was in the low twenties. Science proficiency was higher, around two in five students. Social studies showed the strongest results, with roughly one in two students meeting proficiency. These numbers stand as measured facts; the school reports no multi-year trend data, so it is not possible to say whether results are improving, stable, or declining. A parent may want to look into this further with the school and ask what supports are in place to close these gaps, what acceleration or intervention programs exist, and what the school's own targets are.
The district has not yet released a graduation rate for North High School. The school is currently under a major structural change that may affect how comparisons are made. In November 2024, Akron voters approved a property tax levy and a bond issue that funds, among other things, construction of a new North High School building to replace the current structure, which is decades old. This is a lasting property-tax increase for any family in the Akron district and a multi-year capital project that will reshape the school's physical plant.
Ahead of that levy vote, the Akron school district eliminated a substantial number of positions, including dozens of teaching jobs, to address budget pressures. This reduction in staffing is a real constraint on class sizes and program scope that parents considering the school should account for.
The district has also rolled out a district-wide College & Career Academies model across all high schools, built on the Ford Next Generation Learning framework. This means instruction is organized around career pathways, industry partnerships, and inquiry-based learning rather than traditional departmental tracks. Publicly reported, Akron Public Schools improved significantly on the state report card as a result, and the college and career readiness component was the highest among urban districts in Ohio. For students at North High, this framework shapes daily classroom practice and course sequencing.
The school has publicly reported a sister-university partnership with the University of Akron, which is located on the eastern edge of downtown, within walking distance of civic and cultural anchors including the public library, Lock 3 Park, the Civic Theatre, and the Akron Art Museum. This proximity to a major research university and downtown civic life is a genuine asset for high school students seeking internships, research opportunities, or simply a walkable urban environment beyond the school building.
The immediate housing market shows home values modestly below the state average. Rental costs are rising, and affordability for renters is tighter than for homeowners. The city itself is stable and diverse, with employment anchored by healthcare systems, polymer research, and a growing tech sector alongside traditional manufacturing. For families weighing whether to move to or stay in the Akron district, the property-tax increase from the school levy is a direct factor in housing affordability.
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