The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Social studies. The lowest is 67% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Shawnee Middle School
Shawnee Middle School serves grades five through eight in Lima, a northwest Ohio manufacturing and regional healthcare hub that is currently in active downtown revitalization. The school sits in a mid-sized district that recently stabilized its finances after closing a substantial annual budget gap, and voters approved a renewal levy in November 2025 that maintains current funding without tax increase.
The school's academic profile shows solid performance on Ohio's State Tests. In English language arts, students reach proficiency at a rate above the median among Allen County districts. Science proficiency is notably strong, the highest of the tested subjects. Mathematics proficiency sits somewhat lower than the other two core areas, though still around the county midpoint. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the median across Allen County's tested districts. One caution: the data available covers only the current year, so long-term trend information was not available.
Enrollment sits at roughly seven hundred students, with a moderate share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller populations of mixed-race students, Black students, Hispanic students, and Asian students represented. Special populations data—including counts for students with IEPs and English learners—were not publicly available. Participation rates on state tests are very high, exceeding ninety-nine percent in math, English language arts, and science, suggesting reliable assessment data.
The middle school building dates to the early nineteen-seventies and lacks a sprinkler system, per the district's own facilities assessment conducted with an architecture firm and the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission. The district has evaluated its building stock as part of multi-year planning, and this may signal future bond or capital project decisions that families should monitor. The two elementary schools in the district are more recent, built in the nineteen-eighties and nineties.
Lima itself is a Rust Belt city in transition. It was an industrial and oil refining center through much of the twentieth century; factories and warehouses remain, alongside ongoing investment in the downtown core. The housing market here is substantially more affordable than state or national benchmarks, with home values and mortgage estimates reflecting a lower-cost region. Public transit exists but walkability is limited outside of downtown; the city is investing in pedestrian infrastructure and has recently opened a new community pool and started planning downtown streetscape improvements.
The district's fiscal trajectory matters for families considering the long term: the adoption of a fiscal health plan moved Shawnee from deficit spending to projected balanced budgets in 2026 and 2027, and the renewal levy passing without a tax increase provides some stability. That said, aging facilities and an ongoing facilities study suggest future capital conversations are likely.
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