The top reported proficiency rate is 96% in Social studies. The lowest is 82% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Lake Elementary School
Lake Elementary School serves students in grades two through six in Hartville, a small village in northern Stark County that sits halfway between Akron and Canton. The school is part of Lake Local Schools, a district that recently consolidated from five buildings into three renovated and expanded campuses across Lake Township, Uniontown, Greentown, and Hartville proper.
The school's test results on Ohio's State Tests show solid to strong performance. In math, a large majority of tested students in grades three through six scored proficient or above. In English language arts across the same grades, a substantial majority met proficiency. Science proficiency was notably higher. The school's overall performance on tested subjects places it in the top quartile relative to other schools in Stark County. Participation rates in these assessments were essentially complete. Social studies data from an earlier year also showed very high proficiency. Only the most recent year of testing is available, so multi-year trends cannot be drawn.
Lake Elementary enrolls a moderate-sized student population across its five grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small percentages of students identifying as multiracial, Hispanic, Asian, Black, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a family-income profile modestly below the broader county median. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the school's reporting.
The district Lake Elementary belongs to faced a significant fiscal challenge. A proposed operating levy failed in November 2023, triggering cuts and prompting warnings of further reductions over the following years. A revised operating levy passed in the March 2024 primary, raising property taxes to restore operating revenue. Even with that approval, district leaders indicated they would still need to find millions in savings, including potential staff reductions and resource consolidation. This context matters for families considering the district: recent operational pressure and ongoing budget work shape staffing and program capacity.
Hartville itself is a quiet village with roots in Amish and Mennonite heritage, anchored by a compact, walkable historic downtown featuring small shops, eateries, and the Hartville MarketPlace & Flea Market. The broader area includes destination retail (Hartville Hardware, Hartville Kitchen) and light manufacturing in an industrial park. Much of daily life is car-oriented; the village sits at the intersection of State Routes 43 and 619 with easy access to Canton and Akron. Housing in the area is appreciating steadily, with a median home value slightly below the Ohio state average and well below the national benchmark, making it relatively affordable by recent market standards. New residential development, including senior-living communities, is active. Population has grown moderately over the past decade.
The school is situated on a consolidated township campus rather than within downtown Hartville, so civic and school life occupy separate spaces. Family decisions about Lake Elementary rest on its solid academic baseline, its position in the county's stronger-performing schools, and the family's comfort with a school serving a predominantly white, small-town student body in a district navigating recent budget pressures.
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