Original Research by School Decision on Fort Frye High School
Fort Frye High School serves students in grades nine through twelve from Beverly and the surrounding villages in Washington County. The school is small, with a total enrollment split roughly evenly between freshmen and sophomores, with smaller junior and senior classes. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community with limited median income relative to state and national benchmarks. The student body is almost entirely white, and the school did not report data on special education or English learner populations.
Academically, the most recent testing data show a school with pronounced variation across subjects. In science and social studies, performance is strong. In mathematics and English language arts, proficiency sits in the mid-range. Only one year of results is available, so trajectory cannot be assessed. State testing data for a graduating cohort are not yet reported, making the four-year graduation rate unavailable. A parent may want to reach out to the school directly to ask about college and career pathways, recent graduate placement, and any college-credit or dual-enrollment programs.
Beverly itself is a small riverside village of fewer than two thousand people, situated along the Muskingum River in the Marietta micropolitan area. The village is compact and walkable in scale, with a modest commercial core—an IGA-Ace Hardware, a few restaurants, and the Lock No. 4 Coffeehouse, which opened in 2021 in a previously vacant property. The village is crossed by state routes that serve as main connectors to Marietta and the broader region; there is no fixed-route public transit. A public library branch, community swimming pool, and historic Lock No. 4 on the Muskingum River are the civic anchors. The housing market is modest in value and well below state and national benchmarks, making it affordable for families with entry-level incomes. Population has declined gradually over the last several years rather than grown.
Fort Frye High School sits within the broader Fort Frye Local School District, which covers Beverly and the nearby villages of Lowell and Lower Salem. Beginning in 2021-22, the district separated middle school and high school into different buildings, added a daily advisory period for middle grades, and restored recess for seventh and eighth graders. More recently, the district has undertaken a multi-building upgrade approach rather than a single new-campus bond, including secure vestibules at all buildings, a new athletic field house, restroom and classroom renovations, and acoustic improvements to the high school auditorium and band room scheduled for summer 2026. The district has also adopted new curricula across grade bands, including an elementary music program, middle school social-emotional learning, and for 2026, new high school Spanish and math materials. The district's four-year financial forecast projects continued deficit spending and a likely operating levy request in 2027, which families in the district would face at the ballot.
The combination of small enrollment, rural setting, modest student financial circumstances, and mid-range proficiency in core subjects describes a school suited to families seeking a tight-knit, manageable high school experience in a small community, with the understanding that academic resources and college-prep infrastructure may be more limited than in larger, better-funded districts. A parent weighing this school would benefit from conversations with the guidance counselor about college and career planning, vocational options, and what dual-credit opportunities may be available.
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