The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Math. The lowest is 72% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Hayes Intermediate School
Hayes Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth graders in Grove City, a fast-growing Columbus suburb in southwestern Franklin County. The school sits within the South-Western City School District, a large system that spans five communities and operates one of the newer builds in the district's portfolio. Hayes itself occupies a regular public school setting, serving an enrollment of roughly four hundred to five hundred students with a mix of housing-access demographics.
On state assessments, Hayes shows solid all-around performance. In the most recent school year, proficiency rates across tested subjects ranged from the high seventy percent range in English language arts and science to close to eighty percent in math. Those results place the school above the midpoint of achievement among districts in Franklin County. The tests show near-universal participation, indicating that assessment data represents the full student body rather than a subset. Notably, only one year of comparable data was available, so long-term trend visibility is limited; a parent may want to ask the school about performance trajectory and how current results relate to prior years.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of multiracial and Hispanic students and a very small Asian and Black population. About one in four students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic diversity within the school community. Special education and English learner enrollment figures were not available in the data provided, so a parent seeking details on those services should contact the school directly.
The broader context matters here. Grove City itself is one of central Ohio's fastest-growing residential communities, with active new development including the Beulah Park mixed-use neighborhood and ongoing expansion of regional medical employment. Housing values are moderately above state average, and rents are climbing with demand. The district began an April 2025 membership in professional organizations with publicly stated positions on special education inclusion and English learner services that prompted significant parent and teacher opposition, with some families publicly weighing departure. That remains an open question for families with students receiving those services. The district also completed a major middle-school facilities refresh in 2022, replacing older buildings with new purpose-built structures, so the physical plant is contemporary. At the same time, kindergarten enrollment age cutoffs narrowed beginning in 2026, shifting eligibility by several weeks for students with late-summer birthdays.
Hayes, as a newly or recently constructed middle grades school in a high-growth area, offers a clean, modern learning environment for the fifth-to-sixth transition. The academic baseline is solid. The school's fit depends on whether the family's priorities align with the district's current direction, particularly on special services. A conversation with the school about where Hayes stands within South-Western City's broader changes would be worthwhile before enrolling.
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