The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Willson School
Willson School is a regular public elementary and middle school in Cleveland Municipal serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, with an enrollment of about three hundred students. The school sits in a neighborhood that is predominantly Black, with a very small Hispanic population and smaller numbers of white students and students identifying as two or more races. The school's building is located on Ansel Road in the 44108 zip code area.
State testing results show that proficiency is well below typical benchmarks. In the most recent year available, math proficiency across grades 3 through 8 stood at roughly one in seven students. English language arts proficiency was higher but still low, at roughly one in four students. Science proficiency, tested in a smaller group of students, was similar to math. When these subjects are averaged together, Willson's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among schools tested in Cuyahoga County.
This low performance is a fact that a parent considering this school should understand directly. State assessment data shows students here are not meeting Ohio's proficiency benchmarks at rates typical for the state and county. A parent may want to look into this further with the school itself, asking about instruction, tutoring, curriculum design, and plans to raise achievement. The school's participation rate in testing was very high, which means these results reflect genuine testing of the population rather than a reporting gap.
The school serves families in Cleveland, a large city on Lake Erie that has begun to grow again after decades of population loss. Growth is concentrated in the downtown core and neighborhoods like Ohio City and Tremont, where demand for housing has outpaced supply. Elsewhere in the city and county, housing values reflect a softer market, with median home values in the zip code area considerably below state and national benchmarks. Rental costs are below state median as well. This is a neighborhood where housing is more affordable but where economic stability is lower than in growth corridors.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District has undergone two major changes in the past year that matter for any family considering a school here. In November 2024, voters approved a property tax levy that will cost homeowners a direct increase in annual property taxes for the next several years. And in December 2025, the district board approved a sweeping consolidation plan that by the 2026-27 school year will close many buildings and merge about thirty-nine schools across the district. The impact is that some students will be reassigned to different schools, new bus routes will be created, and the physical footprint of neighborhood schools will shrink. Willson's own status under this plan was not specified in available information, so a parent should check directly with the school or district about whether it will remain open or be affected by consolidation.
The district has also made the classroom cellphone-free for students and introduced PowerSchool, an online grade book that gives parents direct access to their child's grades. These are day-to-day changes that affect how students experience school and how families stay informed about academic progress.
Willson School is small enough that it serves a tight neighborhood geography. It has no data on special education services, English learner support, or free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility, so a parent with needs in those areas should ask the school directly about what is available. With state test results showing low proficiency across the board, families should make their school choice or stay-or-leave decision with clear eyes about the current academic performance and with confidence that they have asked hard questions about what the school is doing to improve outcomes.
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