The top reported proficiency rate is 93% in Social studies. The lowest is 71% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Big Walnut Elementary School
Big Walnut Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Sunbury, a small but rapidly growing community on the northeastern edge of the Columbus metro. The school enrolls a modest population of students, with a grade distribution that skews slightly toward first grade. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
In recent state testing, the school's proficiency rates in math and English language arts both landed in the top quartile relative to other districts in Delaware County. The school reported solid performance in both subjects on Ohio's State Tests for grades three and four. Participation in state assessment was complete. On social studies assessment from some years ago, the school achieved high proficiency. Only one year of current proficiency data is available, so trends cannot yet be assessed. When looked at across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it well above the midpoint among Delaware County districts.
Sunbury itself is undergoing rapid change. The city nearly doubled in population over a recent span and shifted from village to city status in 2021. The character mixes a historic downtown square anchored by Town Hall with newer subdivisions and apartment communities. Major employers include Japanese-affiliated auto-parts manufacturing plants serving Honda, and Amazon Web Services is building a large data center on the east side. Intel's semiconductor manufacturing project in nearby New Albany is reshaping regional employment prospects and drawing infrastructure investment across the area.
The Big Walnut Local School District, which serves both Sunbury and the neighboring community of Galena, completed a substantial facilities expansion in recent years. A new elementary school opened in 2020 and a new high school in 2022, both built to accommodate enrollment growth. As of the 2025-26 school year, the district adjusted elementary attendance boundaries, using State Route 36/37 as the dividing line so that students south of the highway attend Big Walnut Elementary while those north attend Prairie Run Elementary. This boundary change directly determines where new families' elementary-age children will enroll. The 2023 Delaware County property reappraisal substantially raised home values in the district, strengthening the property-tax base but also raising tax bills for homeowners. In November 2025, district voters approved a bond levy to roughly double the size of the Community Library in Sunbury, a shared resource for families, adding a long-term property-tax obligation.
The school's location on Old 3C Road places it in a new-growth area rather than downtown. Housing in the area spans both older homes and newer developments like The Communities at Sunbury and Sunbury Pointe, with a mix of single-family and multi-family options. Median home values in the area are well above state benchmark, and rental costs reflect a strong housing market.
Special-education and English-learner enrollment counts were not reported, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the scope and depth of those services. Beyond state testing in math and ELA, no data on other programs, course offerings, or staffing was available.
See more original research from School Decision →