The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in Social studies. The lowest is 43% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Glendale Elementary School
Glendale Elementary School serves the early grades—pre-K through fifth grade—in the Princeton City School District, a mid-sized district operating in and around Cincinnati. The school is a small public elementary building with an enrollment drawn almost entirely from a low-income community.
The student body is economically disadvantaged. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the neighborhood's economic profile. The enrollment is racially diverse, with a plurality identifying as Hispanic, followed by a substantial share of Black students, with smaller populations of white and multiracial children. Data on the proportion of students learning English as an additional language and students with IEPs were not available.
On Ohio's State Tests, Glendale's proficiency rates in the most recent year show mixed performance. In math, about three in five students tested at proficient levels or above. In English language arts, roughly half met proficiency. In science, fewer than half achieved proficiency; the science group tested was smaller, which is typical for elementary schools where science assessment may be administered to select grades. Social studies results from several years ago showed stronger proficiency. Only one year of recent testing data was available, so trend comparisons cannot be made. Within Hamilton County's district family, Glendale's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint, suggesting it lags the median performance across the county's schools.
The school operates within a district managing significant fiscal strain. In May 2025, after a levy failure in November 2024 that had already triggered staff cuts and a hiring freeze, voters approved an emergency operating levy to restore staffing and keep all elementary buildings open. That levy now generates ongoing revenue tied directly to class sizes, programs, and building operations. This context shapes what the school can offer: families should understand that the district's stability depends on continued voter support for property-tax levies, and that recent budget stress has affected staffing and programming.
Cincinnati itself is a city of diverse, distinct neighborhoods anchored by downtown and a riverfront entertainment corridor, with public transit including bus service and a free streetcar loop. The broader housing market in the area shows moderate home values with recent slight declines and modest rental growth. The economy is anchored by consumer products, healthcare, finance, and education, with major employers including Procter & Gamble and Fifth Third Bank.
Glendale serves a community facing real academic gaps that parents may want to explore further with the school—particularly in reading proficiency and science—and its trajectory will depend partly on the district's ongoing financial stability.
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