The reported proficiency rate for Math is 0%.
Original Research by School Decision on Perry Elementary School
Perry Elementary School serves prekindergarten through second grade in Zanesville, a small Appalachian-edge river city at the confluence of the Muskingum and Licking Rivers, roughly fifty miles east of Columbus. The school enrolls a small group of students, with nearly all of them white. About a quarter of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the community in the lower-income bracket relative to state and national benchmarks. Housing in the Zanesville area remains substantially more affordable than state and national medians, and rents are climbing faster than home values, suggesting rental demand is rising alongside modest new residential development.
State testing data for Perry is extremely limited and warrants discussion directly with the school. The school reported proficiency results in math for a very small tested cohort in third grade, showing no students proficient on that assessment. English language arts results were suppressed due to no students tested. This sparse data reflects the school's grade band—Perry serves only pre-K through second grade, and Ohio administers its standardized tests beginning in third grade. The one third-grade math result visible in the data should not be treated as a school-wide metric; schools at this level do not routinely report aggregated achievement data the way elementary through high schools do. Parents evaluating Perry should ask the school directly about early literacy outcomes, classroom assessment practices, and how the school monitors reading and math progress in the primary grades.
That said, East Muskingum Local, Perry's parent district, has recently invested in a Science of Reading approach for K-3 instruction. All kindergarten through third-grade teachers in the district have been trained in evidence-based literacy practices, supported by post-COVID funding, and the district has adopted rigorous, decodable-text ELA programs. This pedagogical shift happened ahead of the state's eventual mandate and reflects a deliberate commitment to how early readers are taught across the district, including at Perry.
The district's operational outlook has moved on property-tax change. In November 2023, voters approved a new emergency levy by an extremely tight margin, and also renewed an existing levy. This razor-thin passage of operating money means the district's financial posture remains fragile relative to peer districts in Muskingum County. Families considering a move to the area should understand that the district relies on voter-approved emergency levies renewed frequently, which creates ongoing ballot-box dependency and a slightly higher property-tax burden than some neighboring districts.
Perry's enrollment is modest, with a few dozen students per grade. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, so admission is neighborhood-based. The student body is predominantly white with very few students of color. Data on special education prevalence and English learner enrollment are not available, so parents should ask the school about those populations and support services.
Zanesville itself anchors civic life around its historic walkable downtown, riverfront parks, and the iconic Y-Bridge. The city has a small-town character with affordable housing and a workforce skewed toward manufacturing and service occupations. Recent housing development is underway to address a shortage of single-family homes, and affordable-rental projects broke ground in 2024. Public transit exists but is limited; most residents drive. The wider Muskingum County economy relies on Genesis HealthCare System as the largest employer, alongside Halliburton, Kellogg's, Kroger, and a mix of food production and construction firms.
Perry Elementary is the entry point into a district that has positioned itself around early literacy and evidence-based reading instruction. Parents choosing this school should confirm directly with the administration what literacy and math screening and monitoring looks like in the primary grades, given that state test results do not yet apply to this age range.
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