Bear Elementary School, Miamisburg OH

Original Research by School Decision on Bear Elementary School

Bear Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Miamisburg, a mixed-use Dayton suburb in southern Montgomery County. The school sits in a residential neighborhood setting rather than on a district campus, reflecting the city's pattern of distributed neighborhood elementary buildings.

The school's enrollment is roughly midway for its grade band, with about three-fifths of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The majority of students are white, with smaller representation from Hispanic and Black families. Data on special education and English learner enrollment was not available.

On Ohio's state assessments in 2023-24, Bear's proficiency results show a mixed profile across grade levels. In English language arts, third grade performed at about the midpoint while fourth and fifth grades moved to stronger levels, with fifth grade notably above. In math, the picture reversed: third grade was near the midpoint, while fourth and fifth grades dipped lower. Fifth grade science proficiency sat at about the midpoint. These grade-to-grade variations suggest the school's students follow different trajectories depending on which grade cohort they belong to, a pattern a parent may want to explore further with the school. Against the field of districts in Montgomery County, Bear's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint, reflecting these uneven grade-level performances.

Miamisburg itself is experiencing notable residential growth after decades of relative stagnation. Multiple new housing subdivisions are in development or recently completed, creating an influx of families with young children. The school district, which underwent a significant structural change during 2024-2025 by reorganizing elementary buildings into separate K-2 primary schools and 3-5 intermediate schools, will likely see enrollment pressure as the city builds out. Housing in the area is modestly priced relative to national benchmarks and sits within reach for many families, though rental costs have edged upward in recent years. The city anchors itself in a historic downtown with walkable parks and public transit, but most of the residential neighborhoods where families live, including those where Bear Elementary draws from, are auto-oriented suburbs.

The school's test data from 2016-17 in social studies was substantially stronger, though this reflects an older assessment framework no longer in use, so current comparison is not straightforward. A parent considering this school should understand that recent proficiency results are mixed by grade and by subject, and would benefit from asking the school directly about instructional approaches in math, where performance has been softer, and about how the recent district reorganization has affected school operations and support systems.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 441%

School 41% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 456%

School 56% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 573%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 490%

School 90% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolMiamisburg 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income78%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income73%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income92%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income67%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income64%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income77%56 pp gap