Heritage Elementary School, Medina OH

Original Research by School Decision on Heritage Elementary School

Heritage Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in the Medina City School District, one of the slower-growing districts in the county market. The school serves roughly a third of all students in the district and sits in a small county-seat city where the downtown Public Square and surrounding Victorian historic district anchor civic life, though commercial development has shifted increasingly toward the auto-oriented Route 42 corridor on the city's north side.

The school's recent operational context matters for families considering enrollment. In spring 2024, after two failed levy votes, Medina City Schools approved a continuous emergency operating levy in November 2024—the district's first new operating money since 2014. That vote followed significant budget cuts and a consolidation of elementary schools. Heritage and Garfield, both traditional elementary buildings, were removed from the regular attendance map: Heritage was converted to a preschool facility and Garfield became district offices. This means Heritage no longer operates as a neighborhood elementary school, and families who might have had older siblings there will find the school serving a different purpose and student population going forward.

The test data available covers only the most recent full year of state assessments, 2023-24. In English language arts, the school's results show strength in fourth and fifth grades, where proficiency runs solidly above the midpoint. Third-grade reading is lower, which may reflect the earlier stages of foundational literacy instruction. In mathematics, third and fourth grades perform at or above the midpoint among the county's tested elementary schools, while fifth grade dips to around the lower end of the county range. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits at the midpoint for the county. Overall, across all tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's six elementary schools where comparable data exists. The school reports full test participation, and all tested students were included in the results; data on specific student subgroups—English learners or students with disabilities—was not available.

The student body is small by modern standards, under a hundred students per grade in most cases. Just over a quarter of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is predominantly white, with a small but present population of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Students with disabilities and English learners make up the population, but specific counts and rates were not disclosed. The residential area surrounding the school is mixed income, with housing values above the state average and rents in the middle range for Ohio households. Employment sectors in the surrounding area center on healthcare, manufacturing, and education.

A parent may want to look into the school's current staffing and class structure, since the closure of Heritage as a regular elementary is recent and the consolidation created disruption across all district boundaries. The district's tight budget environment is also worth understanding: while the November levy passage provides stability, the years of budget pressure leading up to it meant staff reductions and program adjustments that may still be working themselves out. The shift of Heritage to preschool means the school no longer serves the full K-5 arc and families should clarify how it will operate and what services it now provides.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 381%

School 81% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 483%

School 83% · district not reported

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 570%

School 70% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median

Grade 6100%

School 100% · district not reported

▲ 78 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 480%

School 80% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median

Grade 584%

School 84% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median

Science

Grade 580%

School 80% · district not reported

▲ 18 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 477%

School 77% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

This schoolMedina City SD, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income69%Higher-income69%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income83%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income74%Higher-income89%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income62%Higher-income86%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income90%Higher-income81%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income79%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income100%Higher-income100%0 pp gap