The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Social studies. The lowest is 43% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Katherine Thomas Elementary School
Katherine Thomas Elementary serves prekindergarten through fourth grade in Windham, a small village in eastern Portage County with a working-class character shaped by its World War II origins. The school sits within the compact historic village center rather than on an outlying campus, enrolling a modest population for its grade band.
The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Black students and smaller populations of Hispanic and multiracial students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data were not available. The school's current enrollment leans toward second and fourth grades, with lighter enrollment in first and third, suggesting uneven grade-level flow that may reflect broader demographic shifts in the village itself.
On recent state assessments, math proficiency sits somewhat above reading. In the most recent year tested, about two-thirds of students in grades three and four met the math standard, while proficiency in English language arts fell to below half that rate. Science and social studies data from 2016-17 are older; science showed middling results and social studies results were stronger. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among Portage County districts, meaning families looking for strong test performance against regional benchmarks should expect a clearer conversation with the school about why the gap exists and what supports are in place to narrow it.
The surrounding Windham community presents an economically modest setting. Median home values sit well below county and state benchmarks. The village has experienced long-term population decline from its peak, though recent investment in senior housing and modest new residential construction signals some stabilization around affordable housing rather than growth. Daily-life anchors include the village library, historical society, community center, and a local bus service to nearby towns; no major regional employers are based in the village itself.
The Windham Exempted Village School District, Katherine Thomas's parent district, is contending with structural funding challenges. The district has been in deficit spending and has not replaced retiring teachers—two retirements went unfilled last year and three more retirements this year will also not be filled, signaling larger class sizes ahead. A renewal property-tax levy was placed before voters in November 2025. Additionally, Ohio's proposed carryover reserve cap, if enacted, would further constrain the district's financial flexibility. These fiscal pressures matter to parents because they directly affect class sizes, individualized attention, and program continuity going forward.
Katherine Thomas is a straightforward, small neighborhood elementary school serving a modest, declining rural-village community facing fiscal constraint. A parent evaluating it should focus on the gap between reading and math proficiency, ask the school directly about its literacy instruction and supports, and understand that the district's staffing pressures will mean larger classes and fewer pull-out services than some families may expect. The school offers the advantages of a small, walkable setting and local community presence, but the combination of softer reading results and district-level resource tightness warrants a parent visit and a direct conversation about academic support and class composition.
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