The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chase School
Chase School is a small pre-K through sixth-grade elementary school in Cincinnati with an enrollment that tilts heavily toward early grades. The school serves a student population that is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of white and multiracial students. The neighborhood sits on the city's east side, in a housing market where median home values are moderate for the region and rental prices have risen in the recent past, reflecting broader Cincinnati growth.
On academics, Chase's state test results show students struggling with proficiency. In English language arts, slightly less than half of third through eighth graders tested met the state's proficiency standard. Math proficiency was notably lower, with less than two-fifths of students reaching proficiency. Science results were particularly weak, with only a small fraction of those tested meeting the bar. A parent may want to look into further with the school what interventions are in place, especially in math and science. The district has recently adopted structured literacy approaches in reading—Wit & Wisdom for K-6, paired with Wilson's Fundations in the early grades and training in the Science of Reading for teachers—which may support improvement over time, but gains are still in early stages. The school's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Hamilton County districts, reflecting the distance between current student achievement and grade-level standards across subjects.
The broader Cincinnati Public Schools context includes some structural headwinds. In 2025, the district faced a significant budget gap and eliminated over a hundred classroom positions, along with dozens of support roles. Changes to health office staffing and athletic trainer contracts also took effect. A few weeks before that, voters renewed the district's operating levy in November 2025, which locks in stable annual funding for the next decade, allocating specific amounts to preschool expansion and K-12 operations. That measure passed, which provides some predictability for families planning ahead, but the near-term staffing reductions remain in effect.
Chase's small enrollment and early-grade focus mean it does not generate state graduation or chronic absenteeism data. Free and reduced lunch counts are not available in the data, and special education and English learner enrollment counts are also missing, so a clearer picture of the school's support infrastructure and student needs profile would require a direct conversation with the school.
Cincinnati itself is a mid-sized city with distinct historic neighborhoods, a growing downtown anchored by corporate and cultural institutions, a riverfront entertainment district, and a set of hillside residential areas. The city has added population in recent years and is seeing heavy development activity, particularly in downtown and fast-growing suburbs. Public transit includes Metro buses and a free electric streetcar looping through downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and the Banks entertainment district. A large public library system and multiple parks support civic life. The local economy is anchored by consumer products, healthcare, finance, and aerospace, with major employers including Procter & Gamble, Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and others. This economic foundation provides stability, though the region has not been immune to economic shifts.
A parent considering Chase should understand it as a small neighborhood school serving an early-grade population in a district managing budget pressures while investing in literacy instruction and maintaining stable long-term funding. The test results signal that students are below proficiency in core academics, and academic support and resources are a reasonable line of inquiry when talking with the school directly.
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