The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Trimble Learning Academy
Trimble Learning Academy is a small school serving middle and high school grades in Glouster, a post-industrial Appalachian village in southern Ohio where economic contraction following coal-mining decline has left deep fiscal pressure on schools and community alike.
The school's enrollment is exceptionally small. Across the full middle and high school grade band, Trimble Learning Academy currently serves only a handful of students, with representation across grades eight through twelve but in minimal numbers in each. This is not a typical rural school experiencing enrollment pressure; this is a distinctly limited population. The student body is entirely white. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner populations were not available.
Testing results are exceedingly limited and difficult to interpret at this enrollment level. State assessments in math and English language arts for seventh grade show proficiency at the bottom range in the county comparison, reflected in the school's standing in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency among Athens County districts. Science testing data available is from an earlier year. The results reflect a very small tested group; with single-digit enrollment across grades, results can shift dramatically year to year and are not reliable predictors of school quality in the traditional sense. A parent may want to discuss with the school directly how instruction is organized and what academic supports are in place given the unusually small size.
Glouster itself is a small Appalachian village built on a former coal and brickmaking economy whose decline left a tight-knit, lower-income community. High Street once held doctors' offices, restaurants, and shops; many storefronts are now closed. The train depot serves as the civic center where council meetings are held. The school sits on a separated campus outside the village on the Sunday Creek floodplain, an area so prone to flooding that the school historically has more flood days in a year than snow days. Nearby natural areas, including the Trimble Community Forest and Wayne National Forest, offer outdoor education opportunities.
Housing in the Glouster area is substantially below state and national medians, reflecting the economically distressed character of the region. The median household income locally is lower than the national average.
The district itself is under significant financial strain. Trimble Local was placed into state fiscal emergency in spring 2025 after declining enrollment and overspending of federal COVID relief grants produced large projected deficits. The state auditor's office now oversees district finances. In response, the district cut teaching positions and laid off staff in spring and summer 2025. In November 2025, voters narrowly approved a new earned income tax levy, the district's first new levy in many years, expected to begin generating revenue in January 2026. The levy exempts retirement, pension, and Social Security income, meaning the tax burden falls on wage earners. For a family considering enrollment, this reflects both a meaningful new payroll tax in the district and a precarious financial foundation that the district is betting on this levy to stabilize.
State testing data do not provide a reliable picture of this school given its size. Prospective families should speak directly with the school about how teachers are organized across grades, what curriculum and support systems exist, and how the district's ongoing fiscal challenges may affect staffing and programming in the near term.
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