The top reported proficiency rate is 100% in Social studies. The lowest is 83% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on West Boulevard Elementary School
West Boulevard Elementary School serves kindergarten through third grade in a small school of about four hundred students, sitting in Youngstown's Boardman Local district. The school sits on the western side of Youngstown, a post-industrial Rust Belt city that has shrunk steadily since its steel-industry peak but is now slowly rebuilding, with concentrated development downtown and along the Youngstown State University corridor.
The most current state testing data, from 2024-25, shows strong performance in the early grades where the school tests. On Ohio's state math assessment, students showed proficiency at a rate that places West Boulevard in the top quartile among schools in Mahoning County's districts. English language arts proficiency was also solid, and a 2016-17 social studies result from when the school tested fourth grade showed complete proficiency. The math and ELA results both reflect near-universal test participation. State testing data was not available for earlier years, so trend over time cannot be shown from these results alone.
The student body is about two-thirds white, with roughly equal shares of Black students and students identifying as two or more races, and a smaller number of Hispanic and Asian students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic strain across much of the Youngstown area. The school does not report special education or English learner enrollment separately in the available data.
Youngstown itself presents mixed conditions for families. Housing values in the 44512 zip code are below the Ohio state benchmark and well below the national benchmark, making home purchase relatively affordable for many, though monthly mortgage payments and rent both carry real weight for families earning local wages. The city has a poverty rate near one quarter and has lost population since the 1970s deindustrialization, though the rate of population loss has slowed. Downtown and the YSU area are walkable and have grown livelier in recent years with new restaurants, cultural venues, and apartments. The city operates a fare-free bus system. Outside the downtown core, the city is car-dependent; residential neighborhoods were built for a much larger population and now sit alongside vacant land and abandoned buildings.
Boardman Local schools are navigating significant structural shifts. After a November 2025 levy vote partly failed but passed a six-mill renewal, voters approved a reworked five-year levy in May 2026 that stabilizes funding. However, a new state law effective January 2026 removed flexible levy options schools previously used, leaving only renewal or entirely new millage on the table if budget pressure rises. The district's five-year forecast shows revenues declining and expenses climbing, so future levy requests are likely. The board has also adopted a strategic plan that includes replacing Boardman Center Intermediate School, which would mean a major facilities shift for the district, though that change would not directly affect West Boulevard's youngest students immediately.
West Boulevard's test results suggest solid early-grade instruction in math and ELA. The early elementary years are foundational, and families choosing this school should expect to see how the school's measured proficiency translates to their child's actual learning. The demographic composition and high free-lunch rate reflect Youngstown's economic context. Parents may want to ask the school about special education and English learner support directly, since those enrollment figures were not reported separately in the state data.
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