The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Social studies. The lowest is 55% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Virginia Stevenson Elementary School
Virginia Stevenson Elementary School is a small regular public elementary school in Dayton, Ohio, serving kindergarten through fourth grade as part of the Mad River Local district. The school enrolls around 300 students and sits in the 45431 zip code, a car-dependent area of the city. A substantial majority of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is predominantly white, with smaller populations of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students.
Academic performance in mathematics sits above the midpoint relative to other schools tested in Montgomery County, with just over half of students in grades three through four reaching proficiency. Reading and language arts proficiency is lower, with about half the school's students meeting the proficiency threshold on state assessments. The most recent available data on social studies, from several years ago, showed stronger performance. For a school serving a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, the math result is a genuine strength. The reading result suggests a parent may want to look into how the school is approaching literacy instruction and what support structures exist for students who are not yet proficient. State assessment data covers only grades three and four; kindergarten through second grade are not assessed statewide, so the full picture of early literacy and numeracy development is not visible in these numbers.
The broader Mad River Local district has faced a period of fiscal constraint. A substantial bond package that financed the construction of current school buildings expired at the end of 2024, reducing school property taxes meaningfully for district residents. Voters rejected two operating levies (in May 2023 and November 2024) before approving a permanent improvement levy in May 2025. That levy, which dedicates funding to building repairs, equipment, and capital improvements but not salaries or operations, passed with community support. The district's facility footprint is therefore relatively new, but ongoing operational funding has required voter approval and has faced resistance.
Dayton itself is a mid-sized Ohio city undergoing downtown revitalization, anchored historically by aerospace heritage. The downtown core and adjacent historic neighborhoods (South Park, Oregon District) are walkable and culturally active, but most residential Dayton is car-dependent. Housing values in the school's zip code are modest relative to state and national benchmarks, and rental costs are similarly low, making the area accessible for families with limited housing budgets. The regional economy is anchored by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, healthcare systems (Premier Health, Kettering Health), and the University of Dayton. Employment is stable, though the region has experienced long-term population pressure from suburban migration.
A family considering Virginia Stevenson would be choosing a neighborhood school serving a high-poverty student population, with solid mathematics outcomes and reading performance that is treading water. The school is new in physical plant but operates in a district that has faced recent difficulty securing operating funds. The location offers affordable housing but car-dependent daily life, with downtown Dayton's walkable districts and cultural amenities at a short drive away.
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