Original Research by School Decision on Trotwood-madison Early Learning Center
# Trotwood-Madison Early Learning Center
Trotwood-Madison Early Learning Center serves pre-kindergarten through first grade in Trotwood, a mixed-use suburban city about a short drive northwest of Dayton in Montgomery County. The school enrolls a small student body spanning three grades, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade.
The student body is predominantly Black. The school's racial composition differs markedly from county and state averages, with a substantial share of the student body identifying as Black, while smaller shares identify as Hispanic, two or more races, or white. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and on special education and English learner populations were not available for this early-grade school.
Because this school serves only pre-K and early elementary grades, it has no state academic testing data. Ohio does not administer standardized tests at these grade levels, so no proficiency or value-added results are on file. The school's focus at this stage is foundational early-literacy and numeracy skills, school readiness, and social-emotional development rather than state-assessed outcomes.
The parent district, Trotwood-Madison City Schools, recently made a significant pedagogical shift in early literacy instruction. Across K-5, the district has adopted a Structured Literacy and Science of Reading approach, using McGraw Hill's Wonders Reading curriculum alongside Reading Horizons for explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. Teachers have received training in Lexia LETRS, a professional-development program grounded in reading science. This curriculum change affects how every early-grade student in the district, including those at this school, is taught to read and represents a deliberate move toward evidence-based literacy pedagogy.
The district is navigating a fiscal challenge that has implications for school resources and family finances. Trotwood-Madison began deficit spending in fiscal year 2024 and is on track to continue through its forecast period, with expenses outpacing revenue growth. The district is underfunded under the state's Fair School Funding Plan, and district leadership is weighing an operating levy request for the November ballot. Whether a levy passes or fails will have sustained consequences: a successful levy would increase property taxes for residents, while a failed levy would likely necessitate program cuts. Either path carries material weight for families in the school community.
The city itself is in active redevelopment. Trotwood is recovering from the closure of the Salem Mall and the impacts of a past tornado, with major projects underway to revitalize the Salem Avenue corridor and industrial parks. New apartment construction, housing subdivisions, and commercial projects are being built out alongside food-access and workforce-development initiatives. The local housing market reflects the broader regional setting, with home values below both state and national benchmarks and rental costs moderate relative to household income.
This school represents the foundational gateway of the Trotwood-Madison system, serving the youngest learners in the district as it works to build literacy and school-readiness skills within the context of the district's recent reading curriculum adoption.
See more original research from School Decision →