The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Stivers School for the Arts
Stivers School for the Arts is a public middle and high school in downtown Dayton serving grades seven through twelve. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly half Black, with a meaningful white presence and smaller populations of Hispanic and multiracial students. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across grades, with the school operating at a mid-sized scale for a 7-12 arts-focused institution.
This is a specialized arts pathway school embedded in an urban district undergoing real change. Dayton Public Schools recently adopted a science-of-reading curriculum district-wide and implemented mandatory teacher training in reading instruction. For high school students, the district eliminated formal transportation in the 2025-2026 school year after a state budget provision barred it from providing RTA bus passes; families now arrange their own transit or pay monthly for passes themselves. For a student at Stivers, this means both opportunity and a logistical reality to plan around if you rely on public transit.
On academics, Stivers shows a mixed profile. In English language arts across grades seven and eight, roughly six in ten students meet proficiency. Science proficiency is slightly lower, at about five in ten. Mathematics proficiency is the softest point, with roughly four in ten students proficient, which is notably below the midpoint of district performance across Montgomery County schools. Social studies is a clear strength, with proficiency in the mid-eighties, suggesting the school is stronger in humanities and civics than in quantitative reasoning. Testing participation is high across all subjects, so these figures reflect the full student population rather than a subset of test-takers.
Because Stivers is a specialized arts school, its academic profile should be read alongside its core mission. The school exists to serve students drawn to visual arts, music, theater, dance, or other creative disciplines. The academic data available here does not capture what the school offers in arts coursework, course rigor, or performance outcomes in art making itself. A parent considering Stivers would want to examine the school's website and speak directly with staff about its arts curriculum, placement of graduates in post-secondary arts programs, studio facilities, and how arts instruction integrates with general academics. The relatively softer math proficiency may or may not concern you depending on your student's trajectory; it may reflect demographic and enrollment patterns, school resource allocation between arts and core academics, or student population needs.
Dayton's downtown location sits in an active revitalization zone. The city core is walkable, with galleries, restaurants, the performing arts center, and a river park within reach. The housing market in the zip code shows below-state-average home values, with rents moderately affordable by national standards. The broader region anchors on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, healthcare systems (Premier Health, Kettering Health), and the University of Dayton. Schools are dispersed across neighborhoods; Stivers' downtown placement gives it access to civic institutions and public transit infrastructure, though the loss of free high school busing makes that asset conditional.
Stivers is designed for students who want an arts focus alongside a college-prep academic program. The test results show it serves a real population with diverse starting points, and the strength in humanities contrasts with gaps in mathematics that a parent should explore directly with the school. Whether this is the right fit depends on whether your student is seriously committed to arts, whether the math support is adequate for your student's goals, and whether your family can manage transportation logistics.
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