Original Research by School Decision on Rutherford B Hayes High School
Rutherford B Hayes High School is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Delaware, Ohio, a fast-growing county seat about thirty miles north of Columbus. The school's enrollment of roughly sixteen hundred students is stable across grade levels.
The school's state proficiency results, reported most recently, show solid performance in English language arts and stronger results in science and social studies, with mathematics proficiency lower than the other three subjects. These data represent one point in time, so trend information and comparisons with peer schools in Delaware County were not available. Because Hayes is a high school, no graduation rate or early-grade literacy data apply.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and smaller populations of Black students and students of two or more races. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating meaningful economic diversity. Data on special education enrollment and English learner enrollment were not provided.
Delaware is the county seat of one of Ohio's fastest-growing counties, and the city itself is in the midst of significant residential expansion, with multiple large housing developments approved or under construction. The downtown is walkable and historically preserved, anchored by Ohio Wesleyan University's adjacent campus and active civic life. Housing values in the area are above the state average, and rents have risen modestly. The community is home to major employers including Greif Inc., a multinational industrial packaging manufacturer headquartered there, and other manufacturing and health-care operations. In November 2025, Delaware City Schools voters approved a continuing property tax levy for permanent improvements, which is an important financial commitment for families considering a move into the district.
The Delaware City Schools district implemented a Science of Reading approach to K-3 reading instruction beginning in 2023-24, reflecting a statewide push toward structured literacy, and replaced an operating levy with a substitute emergency operating levy in 2022 that now funds roughly a quarter of district operations. A parent may want to reach out to the school directly to learn more about Hayes-specific course offerings, athletic programs, and how the broader district direction shapes daily learning for high school students. The school website was not available in the data reviewed.
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