The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Social studies. The lowest is 34% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Southern Elementary School
Southern Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Racine, a small village on the Ohio River in Meigs County. The school enrolls a modest population of around five hundred students, spread across ten grade levels. The student body is predominantly White, with very small shares of Hispanic and multiracial students; free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, and data on students with disabilities and English learners were not provided.
The school's academic profile shows mixed results. In English language arts, proficiency sits at a moderate level across grades three through eight. Science proficiency is stronger, reflecting solid performance in that subject. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower, well below the other two core subjects. The school participates fully in Ohio's state testing, with participation rates near or at complete for all three assessed subjects. The most recent comparable state data for social studies comes from 2017 and showed stronger performance at that time, though that measure is no longer part of the regular assessment battery.
Compared to other districts in Meigs County, Southern Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the top tier among the county's three districts. This positioning reflects strength relative to immediate neighbors, though it does not speak to how the school compares statewide or nationally.
Racine itself is a slowly declining village with a tight-knit, mostly residential character. The median home value is well below both state and national benchmarks, making housing affordable by national standards. The median household income is modest. The population has declined year over year, and no major new housing development has emerged. The most visible community-forward project is the Racine Riverfront Revitalization, which centers on Star Mill Park along the Ohio River and includes walking paths, streetscape improvements, a farmers' market pavilion, and outdoor gathering spaces. The school sits within the village street grid, alongside village institutions like the library and town hall, rather than on a separated campus. Transit is car-dependent; larger towns like Pomeroy and Point Pleasant, West Virginia, lie a short drive away.
A parent considering Southern Elementary should expect a small, integrated school serving a rural Appalachian community with solid science instruction and adequate English language arts, but may want to look into what the school is doing to address the notably lower mathematics outcomes. The setting is genuinely small-town, with civic life centered on parks and village events rather than a bustling downtown. Housing is affordable and stable families dominate, though the community is aging and shrinking rather than growing. The school itself is embedded in daily village life, which some families value and others may find limiting.
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