Winton Woods Intermediate School, Cincinnati OH

Original Research by School Decision on Winton Woods Intermediate School

Winton Woods Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth grade students in Cincinnati. The school sits at the start of the district's project-based learning pathway, a K through 12 model that Winton Woods adopted through the New Tech Network. Students learn through collaborative projects rather than traditional instruction, and the intermediate grades moved into a new South Campus facility in 2021 designed specifically for this approach. The campus achieved LEED Gold certification and replaced traditional features—like assigned classrooms and centralized cafeterias—with flexible learning spaces and distributed dining.

Academically, the school's recent state test results show mixed proficiency. In the latest year, proficiency rates across grades five and six ranged from about a third in math to roughly two-fifths in English language arts and science. Among the county's districts, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile, indicating that a substantial share of students are not meeting grade-level benchmarks in core subjects. A parent investigating these scores may want to ask the school directly how it approaches skill gaps and what support it offers students who are below grade level, especially as the project-based model requires strong foundational skills to participate effectively.

The student population is predominantly students of color, with a large Black student majority and a sizable Hispanic population. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school in an economically disadvantaged context. The school's size is roughly characteristic for its grade span, serving a manageable enrollment of students across the two grades.

Cincinnati itself is a city of dense neighborhoods with distinct identities, anchored by downtown commerce and entertainment and surrounded by residential hillsides. The community is experiencing moderate growth, with recent apartment construction and a major convention-district redevelopment transforming downtown. The broader metro has added residents in recent years, driven partly by in-migration. Housing values in the area are below both state and national medians, and the rental market is relatively stable.

The Winton Woods district, however, faces financial strain. Voters have rejected multiple operating levies in 2022 and 2023, leaving the district without new funding and forcing staff reductions and program cuts—an important context for families considering enrollment. The district chose to invest heavily in its new campuses and the shift to project-based learning before hitting these budget constraints, so families should understand both the pedagogical philosophy and the resource environment in which it operates.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-829%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-842%

School 42% · District 37% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-834%

School 34% · District 32% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 450%

School 50% · district not reported

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

This schoolWinton Woods City, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.