The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Science. The lowest is 17% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Albert Bushnell Hart
Albert Bushnell Hart is a public school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Cleveland's East Side neighborhood. The school enrolls a small population with a substantial majority of Black students and a minority white and multiracial population; Asian and Hispanic enrollment is minimal. The enrollment is stable and evenly distributed across grades.
The school's academic performance on Ohio state tests is below where families typically want to see it. In math and English language arts, proficiency rates fall well below half of tested students, placing the school in the bottom quartile among Cuyahoga County districts on overall proficiency. Science performance is notably stronger, with just over half of students meeting proficiency. These data reflect a school where many students are arriving several grade levels behind in reading and math, and the instruction has not yet fully closed those gaps. A parent might want to ask the school directly about its reading intervention programs, math support structures, and how it identifies which students need extra help early on.
The school is embedded in Cleveland's broader school context. In December 2025, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District board approved a major consolidation plan that will reshape the district by the 2026-27 school year, closing eighteen buildings and merging thirty-nine schools. This will affect transportation routes, which school buildings remain open, and the neighborhood footprint of school choice. Families should clarify with the district whether Albert Bushnell Hart is among those affected by the consolidation and what that means for their child's assignment and commute.
The district also passed a substantial property tax increase in November 2024 to fund operations and teacher pay, adding roughly several hundred dollars per year in taxes on a median-value home. For the 2024-25 school year, the district became cellphone-free for students and introduced PowerSchool, an online grade book giving parents direct access to grades and attendance.
The surrounding neighborhood sits on Cleveland's East Side with median home values below the state and national benchmarks, reflecting the city's broader economic and population patterns. Rental costs are modest relative to home prices. The area is part of Cleveland's slow population recovery after decades of decline, with growth concentrated in the urban core downtown and around University Circle rather than in the outlying neighborhoods where this school sits.
The school building itself is a regular public school with no charter, magnet, or special designation. It serves a local neighborhood population rather than a choice-based enrollment. Data on free and reduced lunch status, English learner enrollment, and special education numbers were not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about the prevalence of these populations and what services are in place. Staffing, discipline, attendance rates, and course offerings are likewise not detailed in the available data.
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