The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Social studies. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Joseph Welty Middle School
Joseph Welty Middle School serves grades six through eight in New Philadelphia, a small Ohio city in Tuscarawas County. The school has an enrollment of roughly six to seven hundred students, with the student body about evenly split across the three grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting modest household incomes in the community.
The racial and ethnic makeup is predominantly white, with Hispanic students representing a meaningful minority enrollment and very small numbers of other backgrounds. The data did not report counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so parents may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the services available.
On state assessments in spring 2025, Joseph Welty's proficiency rates across core subjects clustered in the mid-range. In math, about two-thirds of students tested at proficient levels or above, with similar results in English language arts. Science proficiency ran somewhat higher. The school's overall proficiency index positions it below the midpoint among the thirteen districts in Tuscarawas County, though it remains in the range where many county schools sit. Testing participation was strong across all subjects. The school tested only a subset of students in science because that subject is assessed at selective grades in the state testing calendar.
The locale is a mix of downtown walkability and car-oriented commercial sprawl. New Philadelphia has a historic downtown grid with locally owned shops and the county courthouse and library both seated downtown, but retail and services concentrate along highway corridors. Home values are below the state and national benchmarks and are broadly affordable relative to local incomes. The economy rests on manufacturing (automotive systems, trucks, hydraulic equipment, bearings) and a regional healthcare and higher-education presence anchored by Kent State University's Tuscarawas campus and Buckeye Career Center.
A critical context for families considering this school is the state of district facilities. Voters have turned down multiple bond measures and levies in recent years, most recently in May 2026, when a proposed income tax and new-school project failed. The district operates in aging buildings. State funding for a comprehensive facilities project was conditionally available but required local passage of a tax measure and was set to expire at the end of 2026. The condition and timeline of facility improvements remained unresolved at the time this profile was compiled, and parents may want to contact the district directly about current planning and the likelihood of building upgrades in the coming years, as this directly affects the physical learning environment their children would attend.
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