The top reported proficiency rate is 88% in Social studies. The lowest is 57% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Douglas Macarthur
Douglas MacArthur is a small public elementary and middle school in Cleveland that serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school sits on Valleyside Road on the city's south side, in the 44135 zip code, an area with modest housing values and stable rental availability.
The student body is diverse. The enrollment is small, split across ten grade levels with the largest classes in second and fourth grades. The student composition is mixed: roughly a third Black, roughly a quarter white, a seventh Asian, and a fifth Hispanic, with a small number identifying as multiracial. Free-and-reduced-price-lunch status data was not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the economic context of the student population.
Academic performance centers on proficiency on Ohio's State Tests. In English language arts, about seven in ten students in grades three through eight scored proficient or above. Science showed the strongest results, with proficiency near or above three-quarters of tested students. Mathematics lagged, with proficiency just above midpoint. Science participation was complete, as were ELA and participation rates for math. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the county's districts, a meaningful position for a school of this size and setting.
The school sits within Cleveland Municipal, a district that recently passed a major property-tax levy (Issue 49) in November 2024 to fund operations and facilities. That tax burden falls on any homeowner in the district. More consequentially, the district in December 2025 approved a consolidation plan that will reduce its footprint from 88 schools to 59 by 2026-27, merging 39 schools and closing 18 buildings. Elementary schools will drop from 61 to 45. About a substantial number of students across the district will be reassigned. Douglas MacArthur was not named in public reporting as a building slated for closure, but the district-wide changes mean new bus routes, shifted enrollment boundaries, and continuing uncertainty about neighborhood school stability. A parent should confirm the school's status directly with the district and plan on possible reassignment of students between now and 2026-27.
The housing market in the 44135 zip code reflects broader Cleveland trends. Home values are modest relative to national benchmarks, with rental costs reflecting a relatively affordable market. The county overall is stable but not growing; the city of Cleveland has posted slight population growth in recent years concentrated in its urban core, while exurban counties to the south and west are seeing most new residential construction.
State testing data trends were not available for comparison across multiple years, so a parent cannot see whether this school's performance is stable, improving, or shifting. Special education and English learner enrollment numbers were not provided, so it is unclear how the school serves these populations. Discipline data, attendance data, staffing ratios, and course offerings were also absent from the available information. A parent considering this school should plan to visit, meet the principal, ask about staffing, special services, and confirm what the district consolidation means for enrollment stability at this address.
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