The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Social studies. The lowest is 66% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Talawanda Middle School
Talawanda Middle School is a regular public middle school in Oxford, Ohio, serving grades six through eight with an enrollment drawn largely from the surrounding Talawanda City School District. The school sits in a college-town setting shaped by Miami University, where walkable residential neighborhoods and civic anchors cluster around an active campus and commercial district.
The school's academic profile shows solid proficiency overall. In reading, about two-thirds of students score at the proficient level or above on Ohio's state tests, while math proficiency sits just under that mark. Science performance is noticeably stronger, with three-quarters of tested students reaching proficiency. The school tests nearly all eligible students, indicating strong participation in the assessment system. Student composition is predominantly white, with a modest share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is evenly distributed across the three grades served.
When compared against other districts in Butler County, Talawanda Middle School's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, positioning the school in the stronger half of its county peer group. This suggests the school is holding its own in a competitive regional context, though it is not an outlier.
Parents moving to the district in recent years have navigated a meaningful fiscal backdrop. In late 2022, local voters rejected an operating levy, triggering a board cost-savings plan that reduced transportation and reintroduced athletic participation fees—changes that rippled through family budgets and logistics. However, a triennial property reappraisal that increased property valuations in the district created additional tax revenue, which allowed the board to cancel the second and third years of planned cuts. That stabilization restored programs and services that had been threatened, an important factor for families considering the area.
Oxford itself is actively working to address housing constraints in its mile-square historic core through new residential subdivisions on the south side and several affordable-housing initiatives under way, including a Habitat for Humanity development and cottage communities. Housing costs sit modestly below the national benchmark. The town's character turns heavily on Miami University's presence and calendar; that shapes both the rhythm of daily life and the peer environment, as student rentals and transient populations mix with longtime residents and university employees.
The school building itself sits on Oxford Reily Road at the edge of the college town, positioned to serve both the immediate neighborhood and broader district families. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available. No trend data spanning multiple years was available to assess whether proficiency is moving up or down over time.
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