The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Social studies. The lowest is 71% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Heath Middle School
Heath Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in a mid-sized district in Heath, a city situated between Columbus and the Licking County aerospace and defense manufacturing hub. The school sits in a sprawling suburban setting built around auto-oriented retail and residential zones rather than a walkable downtown. It is a regular public school operating as one campus within a small district that includes two elementary schools and a high school.
The school enrolls students across a fairly balanced grade distribution, with a student body that is predominantly white and skews toward middle-income families. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a mixed economic base. Data on special populations such as students with IEPs or English learners was not provided, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its capacity in those areas.
On state testing, Heath Middle School performs solidly. In math, students achieved proficiency near the low-to-mid range of the district universe. English language arts results track closely with math. Science proficiency runs somewhat higher. Across all tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among the county's districts, placing it in the upper half. The school maintains very high participation rates on state assessments, indicating consistent engagement in testing. Because only one year of state testing data is available in the payload, trend information cannot be drawn; prior social studies results from an earlier cycle show strong performance but are not current.
The locale brings both assets and constraints. Heath benefits from proximity to employment anchors including Boeing's aerospace operations and the broader Aerospace Center, plus significant retail and hospitality activity. Civic life centers on parks and trails rather than an urban core; the South Fork of the Licking River corridor and municipal water park serve as community gathering points. A new mixed-use downtown development is underway behind Indian Mound Mall, expected to bring additional foot traffic and housing density in coming years. However, daily life requires a car, and the school operates as a dispersed campus rather than at a town center.
The district faces a near-term facilities challenge. In March 2024, voters defeated a bond measure that would have replaced aging elementary buildings. The three elementary school buildings are roughly decades old, and the district is now working through a longer-term facility planning task force. A parent considering the district should expect another bond or levy ask in the future. The good news is that the district retired high-school bond debt in late 2024, reducing the immediate property-tax burden and creating future borrowing capacity. In May 2023, voters approved a substitute operating levy to replace two emergency levies, stabilizing funding for day-to-day operations without a millage increase. Property values in the Heath schools taxing area rose moderately in the 2023 county reappraisal, adjusting the assessed baseline upward beginning in fiscal 2024-25; buyers should account for this higher valuation when calculating property tax costs.
Housing in the Heath zip code sits moderately above both state and national benchmarks, with median home values in the mid-range for the region. Monthly mortgage payments and rental costs both fall in the moderate band, making the area somewhat more affordable than the national average. Local employment is diversified, anchored by aerospace manufacturing but supplemented by retail, hospitality, healthcare and logistics, and the region is experiencing growth tied to broader Licking County development and Intel-related activity in New Albany.
Heath Middle School offers a standard middle-grade curriculum without specialized magnet or charter designations. The school is not a Title I school, meaning it does not receive federal funding for high-poverty populations, though it does serve students across the economic spectrum. Program specifics, course offerings, staffing levels, and details on athletics and clubs were not available in the provided data; a parent would benefit from checking the school's website and speaking directly with staff about extracurricular options and course pathways into high school.
See more original research from School Decision →