The top reported proficiency rate is 90% in Social studies. The lowest is 72% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Leona Ave Middle School
Leona Ave Middle School serves grades three through six in Shadyside, a small Ohio River village in eastern Belmont County with a quiet, aging residential character. The school enrolls a small student body drawn almost entirely from the village and immediate surroundings. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the community. The student population is predominantly white, with very few students of color enrolled.
On state testing, the school shows solid performance in English language arts, where proficiency runs well above the middle range among its county peers. Mathematics proficiency is also respectable, landing in the upper portion of the county comparison. Science results, however, are notably weaker, with proficiency well below the county median. The three-subject average places the school in the top quartile relative to other districts in Belmont County. Only one year of recent data is available for each subject, so trends cannot be measured. Testing participation is complete across the board.
The school sits within Shadyside itself rather than on an outlying campus, giving students short bus rides and embedding the school in the village's everyday geography alongside the library and community center. Shadyside Local voters renewed a five-year operating levy in November 2024, securing funding for staff, utilities, and social services through 2030 without raising property taxes for district families. Beginning in September 2023, the district began offering LifeWise Academy, an optional, privately funded, Bible-based released-time program held off school grounds during the school day. The program started with fifth and sixth graders and has expanded to middle school grades; it requires parental consent and remains optional. For families considering the district, this is an established curricular feature worth understanding.
Shadyside itself has a stable but aging population with no meaningful growth; the median age runs high and a quarter of residents are older than sixty-five. Home values are below the state average and well below the national one, and housing remains affordable by most measures. The village economy rests on small retail, food service, health care, and accommodation rather than a single large employer. The nearby R.E. Burger coal power station, a longtime industrial anchor, closed years ago. The Ohio River poses severe flood risk, constraining where new housing can be built.
Special education and English learner enrollment data were not available in the school's reported data. No recent multi-year trend is available for mathematics and science, making it impossible to assess whether current performance represents improvement, decline, or stability.
See more original research from School Decision →