The top reported proficiency rate is 10% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on The International School
The International School is a small independent school serving prekindergarten through high school in southwest Dayton. It has an enrollment of roughly 360 students spread across all grade bands, with the student body heavily composed of Black and Hispanic families, each representing just over half the school combined. Prekindergarten and elementary grades carry the larger cohorts, while secondary enrollment drops markedly in the high school years. The school's zip code sits in a neighborhood where median home values are modest and well below the state benchmark, and rental costs are correspondingly low, making the area relatively affordable by regional standards.
Academically, The International School faces serious headwinds. On state testing in mathematics for grades 3-8, the school showed no students at proficiency levels in the most recent year. In English language arts for the same grades, proficiency stood in the single digits. Science testing data from the prior school year similarly showed no proficient students in the small tested fifth-grade cohort. These results place the school at the bottom of proficiency measures relative to districts across Montgomery County. The school's performance here is substantially weaker than the typical pattern in the county, and a parent considering this school should ask directly what support structures are in place to address reading and math instruction, what professional development teaching staff has undergone, and what measurable progress the school is tracking toward improvement.
The International School is located in Dayton proper, a mid-sized Ohio city with a downtown core that has undergone sustained revitalization since the mid-1990s, anchored by the Schuster Performing Arts Center, the newly rebuilt Main Library, and mixed-use residential development. Beyond downtown, Dayton is characterized by historic residential districts like South Park and the Oregon District, which offer walkable streetscapes, arts venues, and dining, though the city as a whole is car-dependent. The regional economy is shaped heavily by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to the north, the healthcare sector (Premier Health, Kettering Health Network), and the University of Dayton. Housing in the school's residential area remains affordable, though parents should note that Dayton Public Schools, the district serving the broader area, eliminated formal transportation for high school students in 2025-2026 following a state budget change. Families with high schoolers now bear the cost of RTA bus passes or must arrange private transportation.
A separate note: the school does not report free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility, special education enrollment rates, or English learner rates, so those elements of the student body remain unclear from available data. Similarly, graduation rate data was not found. If early literacy or mathematics fundamentals are critical to your decision, the testing results warrant a direct conversation with school leadership about curriculum, teacher training, and intervention programs currently in place and their trajectory.
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