The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Social studies. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Union Local Middle School
Union Local Middle School sits on a rural campus outside the small village of Belmont in the eastern Ohio hill country, serving grades six through eight within a district that blankets a multi-community area of roughly a hundred square miles. The school draws students from Belmont, Bethesda, Morristown, Flushing, and several other small towns and unincorporated areas that make up the Union Local district, giving it a rural, close-knit peer environment where most students know one another and neighboring families maintain deep roots.
The school's academic profile shows strength in science and a softer standing in math. On state testing, proficiency in science runs substantially above the county median, placing this school among the stronger performers in Belmont County on that subject. English language arts proficiency sits near the county midpoint. Math proficiency falls below the midpoint for the county, a weak spot that reflects a learning area where the school's students are not keeping pace with peers across the broader region. The school achieved full testing participation, meaning every eligible student sat for the state assessments, so the results carry no participation gaps. Science and ELA tested larger groups than math, a distribution pattern common in middle schools where science is tested only for a subset of grades.
The student body is small and racially homogeneous, with enrollment of about three hundred students spread fairly evenly across the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The vast majority of students identify as white, with a small number of students of color. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a signal of modest but real economic strain in the families the school serves. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not available, so a parent seeking detail on those services should ask the school directly.
Belmont itself is a very small village of under a thousand residents, part of the Wheeling metropolitan area but rooted in the rural Appalachian economy. The area has experienced population decline over recent decades as coal and manufacturing have contracted. Housing costs here run well below the state and national benchmarks, making it an affordable community for families who can tolerate rural isolation and limited commercial amenities. The village has no formal downtown; walkability centers on residential streets and the state highway corridor. The dominant nearby recreational anchor is Barkcamp State Park, with its lake and outdoor trails, located about a mile south of the village.
The school district recently cleared a major hurdle that signals a turning point in facility conditions and local tax stability. After decades of failed levy attempts, voters narrowly passed a permanent improvement levy in May 2026 that will fund long-deferred roofing, HVAC, and plumbing repairs. This came after voters rejected a similar levy in November 2025 by a two-to-one margin. The passage of the May levy marks the district's first new-money levy in years and means families considering a move here should expect modest property tax increases but also improved building conditions and a less uncertain funding environment than the district faced before.
A parent evaluating this school is choosing a small, rural middle school with a homogeneous student body, affordable housing, and a tight-knit community texture. The academic profile shows capability in science but real weakness in math that deserves exploration with the school. The recent levy passage suggests the district is working to address facility problems that had plagued it for years. This setting works well for families who prioritize affordability, a quiet rural setting, and direct connection to a close community, and who are comfortable with limited suburban or urban amenities and a student population that is predominantly white.
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