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Ohio school board elections, 2023

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Ohio was one of 10 states where Ballotpedia provided comprehensive school board election coverage in 2023.
Learn more about our comprehensive coverage here.

Elections

The table below contains links to all school board elections within Ballotpedia's regular coverage scope in this state, which included all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population, the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2023 Ohio School Board Elections
District Primary General Election General Runoff Election Regular term length Seats up for election Total board seats 2022-2023 enrollment
Berea City School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 5,551
Canal Winchester Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 3,801
Cincinnati Public Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 7 35,585
Columbus City Schools 5/2/2023 11/7/2023 N/A 4 4 7 45,338
Dublin City Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 16,525
Euclid City School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 4,748
Gahanna-Jefferson City School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 7,961
Groveport-Madison Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 6,242
Hamilton Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 3,082
Hilliard City Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 16,082
Maumee City School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 2,160
New Albany-Plain Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 5,101
Olentangy Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 23,281
Pickerington Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 11,370
South-Western City Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 21,766
Sylvania City School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 7,662
Toledo Public Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 21,814
Washington Local School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 3 2 5 6,877
Westerville City School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 14,571
Worthington Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 10,810

Ballotpedia is covering all other school board elections in Ohio, including those outside of our regular coverage scope. Use the links below to view all covered elections in Ohio.




Academic performance

See also: Public education in Ohio

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Education terms
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NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania), Ohio had the second highest share of eighth graders who scored at or above proficient in reading.[1]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
Math - Grade 4 Math - Grade 8 Reading - Grade 4 Reading - Grade 8
Ohio 48% 40% 37% 39%
Indiana 52% 38% 38% 35%
Michigan 37% 30% 31% 33%
Pennsylvania 44% 42% 40% 42%
United States 41% 34% 34% 34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Ohio and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[1][2][3]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[4]

Ohio schools reported a graduation rate of 82.2 percent, second lowest among its neighboring states.

In Ohio, more students took the ACT than the SAT, earning an average ACT score of 21.8.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State Graduation rate, 2013 Average ACT composite, 2013 Average SAT composite, 2013
Percent Quintile ranking** Score Participation rate Score Participation rate
Ohio 82.2% Third 21.8 72% 1,635 17%
Indiana 87% First 21.7 38% 1,470 70%
Michigan 77% Fourth 19.9 100% 1,782 4%
Pennsylvania 85.5% Second 22.7 18% 1,480 71%
United States 81.4% 20.9 54% 1498 50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally.
Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express
ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores
The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Ohio was higher than the national average at 4.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.6 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[5]

State profile

State profile

Demographic data for Ohio
 OhioU.S.
Total population:11,605,090316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):40,8613,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:82.4%73.6%
Black/African American:12.2%12.6%
Asian:1.9%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:3.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:89.1%86.7%
College graduation rate:26.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,429$53,889
Persons below poverty level:19.6%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Ohio.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Ohio

Ohio voted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, nine are located in Ohio, accounting for 4.37 percent of the total pivot counties.[6]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Ohio had eight Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 4.42 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Ohio coverage on Ballotpedia

Pivot Counties

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Nine of 88 Ohio counties—10.2 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Ashtabula County, Ohio 18.80% 12.78% 13.54%
Erie County, Ohio 9.48% 12.29% 13.86%
Montgomery County, Ohio 0.73% 4.62% 6.22%
Ottawa County, Ohio 19.51% 4.30% 6.24%
Portage County, Ohio 9.87% 5.52% 8.99%
Sandusky County, Ohio 22.58% 2.71% 4.64%
Stark County, Ohio 17.17% 0.47% 5.46%
Trumbull County, Ohio 6.22% 23.00% 22.43%
Wood County, Ohio 7.99% 4.84% 7.13%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Ohio with 51.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Ohio cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 93.3 percent of the time (28 out of 30 elections), more than any other state in the country. In that same time frame, Ohio supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 60 to 40 percent. Between 2000 and 2016, Ohio voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Ohio. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[7][8]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 39 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 35.7 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 33 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 34 points. Clinton won seven districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 60 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 17.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 66 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 28.3 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

Additional elections

See also: Ohio elections, 2023

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Battleground elections

Mentor Exempted Village School District

See also: Mentor Exempted Village School District, Ohio, elections (2023)

Ballotpedia identified the November 7, 2023, Mentor Exempted Village School District election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Rose Ioppolo and Lauren Marchaza defeated Christine Henninger, Gil Martello, and Lyndsie Wall in the general election for two at-large seats on the Mentor Exempted Village School District school board on November 7, 2023.

Issues in the race included curriculum content, prohibiting certain books in school libraries, and policies relating to transgender students. According to News 5 Cleveland, objections to certain books in school libraries had been part of an "ongoing debate over what belongs on school library shelves, which has dominated public comment periods at school board meetings and prompted concerned citizens to seek elected office."[9][10]

In March of 2023, the board voted 3-2 against a resolution supporting the Ohio Board of Education’s opposition to proposed changes to Title IX regarding transgender students.[10] Proponents of the changes to Title IX said transgender individuals should be allowed to participate in sports and use school facilities, such as locker rooms and bathrooms, based on their gender identity. Opponents believed student participation in sports and use of these facilities should be based on biological sex, not gender identity.[11][12]

The 1776 Project PAC, which described itself as "committed to abolishing critical race theory and ‘The 1619 Project’ from the public school curriculum," endorsed Ioppolo and Martello.[13] Matriots PAC, Vote Mama PAC, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers endorsed Marchaza and Wall.[14][15]

Ioppolo worked in sales and marketing for Sony Music Distribution and Radio Disney and as a substitute teacher.[16] Ioppolo said she ran "because, as a parent of four children- three still in the district, I’m deeply invested in the growth and prosperity of our schools and our community. If elected, I vow to restore the communities’ confidence in our school board. I will work with the board to adopt policy that is aimed at improving academic scores, which is priority number one."[17]

Marchaza worked as a director and editor of publications at Case Western Reserve University.[18] Marchaza said, "Mentor Public Schools have always been known for their quality, but that doesn't mean we can't improve. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mentor school district faces serious challenges that can only be solved through collaboration and dialogue."[19]

Henninger was a business support manager for Hub Plastics, a plastic bottle manufacturer.[20] Henninger said her top priority would be "working together as a team by being respectful of another’s perspective, being open minded and learning to compromise in order to meet the current and future mental, emotional, social, and academic needs of our students, families, and teachers."[21]

Martello worked as a senior engineering manager at a critical component manufacturer.[22] Martello said he supported "confirming that school staff remain neutral when discussing historical or political topics," and "establishing separate restroom and locker room use based on the biological sex of the individual." Martello said he "would advocate for policy that once again returns value to the taxpayer, parents, teachers and students alike."[23]

Wall worked as regional director of Defense of Democracy, a national nonprofit focused on education.[24] Wall said, "everyone also has a right to a transparent public school system. Above all, I will work to ensure the transparency that is essential to the relationship between public schools and the community."[25]

South-Western City Schools District

See also: South-Western City Schools, Ohio, elections (2023)

Ballotpedia identified the November 7, 2023, general election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Denise D'Angelo and Julie Liskany defeated incumbents Anthony Caldwell and Lee Schreiner in the general election for South-Western City Schools Board of Education in Franklin County, Ohio, on November 7, 2023. Two of five school board seats were up for election, and voters could choose up to two candidates.

The district had approximately 21,699 students during the 2021-2022 school year.

There were two slates that had each fielded two candidates. Incumbents Anthony Caldwell and Lee Schreiner ran as the Students First! slate of candidates. Caldwell was the school board president and Schreiner was the vice president. Their campaign priorities included: listening to parents, taxpayers, and residents; safeguarding tax dollars with fiscally responsible leadership; and protecting the safety, security, and wellness of all students.[26] Caldwell and Schreiner said on social media that they "delivered on their promises: No New Taxes since 2009, 4 New Middle Schools, On Time/On Budget, Graduation Rates & Student Grades Up, Student Absences Reduced, 28 New Student Support Professionals."[27]

Denise D'Angelo and Julie Liskany ran as The Parents' Voice slate. Their campaign priorities included: increasing parental/community involvement; ensuring safer schools and learning environments; and raising student achievement.[28] D'Angelo and Liskany said on social media: "As School Board members, we plan to implement a curriculum board to improve academics, increase opportunities for Special Education students in post-graduation settings, provide Better communication between Counselors/students/families and community partners for more job training and internships, and more access to our award-winning Career Academy."[29]

While the election was nonpartisan, both nonpartisan and partisan organizations and officeholders endorsed the slates. Endorsements for the Students First! slate included: the Franklin County, Ohio, Democratic Party and four education associations.[30][31][32][33] Endorsements for The Parents' Voice slate included: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), the Franklin County, Ohio, Republican Party, and the 1776 Project PAC.[34] Click here to see all endorsements.

Columbus Dispatch reporters Mark Ferenchik and Bailey Gallion said the 1776 Project "has been pouring money into local school board races around the country."[35] The project, which endorsed The Parents' Voice candidates D'Angelo and Liskany, is "committed to abolishing critical race theory and 'The 1619 Project' from the public school curriculum."[36] In an interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Students First! candidate Caldwell said "he is concerned about the school board changing direction and aligning with a certain ideology."[35] D'Angelo and Liskany said, "We appreciate the support from 1776 who believes ALL history should be taught in the classroom and that school is for education. Liskany D'Angelo has received 0 communication from 1776. Endorsement of 1776 was not known until a post card was sent on their behalf to those in the community."[34]

In Ohio, school board candidates must reside and be registered to vote in the school district for at least 30 days before the election.[37]


See also

Ohio School Boards News and Analysis
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Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
  2. ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
  3. ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
  4. ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
  5. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
  6. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  7. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  8. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  9. ↑ News 5 Cleveland, "Mentor school board to again take up book challenge as public debate continues," May 9, 2023
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Fox 8, "Mentor Schools makes decision on transgender student rights proposal," March 15, 2023
  11. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Ohio State Board of Education votes against Biden-supported LGBTQ protections in Title IX," December 14, 2022
  12. ↑ News Herlad, "Mentor School Board votes 3-2 not to support Ohio’s Title IX resolution," March 16, 2023
  13. ↑ Christian Post, "Conservative group backs 150 school board candidates who oppose 'woke' ideology in classrooms," August 25, 2023
  14. ↑ Lauren Marchaza for Mentor School Board, "About Lauren," accessed October 18, 2023
  15. ↑ Lyndsie Wall, "Home," accessed October 18, 2023
  16. ↑ Rose Ioppolo Gil Martello Mentor School Board, "About Rose," accessed October 18, 2023
  17. ↑ Rose Ioppolo Gil Martello Mentor School Board, "Meet Rose," accessed October 18, 2023
  18. ↑ Lauren Marchaza for Mentor School Board, "About Lauren," accessed October 18, 2023
  19. ↑ Lauren Marchaza for Mentor School Board, "Top priorities," accessed October 18, 2023
  20. ↑ The News Herals, "Mentor School Board candidate November 2023: Christine Henninger," October 12, 2023
  21. ↑ Elect Christine Henninger for Mentor School Board, "Christine Henninger," accessed October 18, 2023
  22. ↑ Rose Ioppolo & Gil Martello Mentor School Board, "Meet Gil Martello," accessed October 18, 2023
  23. ↑ Rose Ioppolo & Gil Martello Mentor School Board, "Our Platform," accessed October 18, 2023
  24. ↑ The News-Herald, "Mentor School Board candidate November 2023: Lyndsie Wall," October 12, 2023
  25. ↑ Lyndsie Wall, "Why I'm Running," accessed October 18, 2023
  26. ↑ Students First! Caldwell Schreiner for School Board, "Home," accessed October 26, 2023
  27. ↑ Facebook, "SWCSD Students First," October 19, 2023
  28. ↑ The Parents' Voice Liskany D'Angelo for South-Western City School Board, "Our Mission," accessed October 26, 2023
  29. ↑ Facebook, "Friends of Liskany D'Angelo," October 14, 2023
  30. ↑ Franklin County Democratic Party, "Franklin County endorsed Democrats & issues for 2023," accessed October 26, 2023
  31. ↑ Facebook, "Hea Hilliard Educators," September 24, 2023
  32. ↑ Facebook, "SWCSD Students First," October 10, 2023
  33. ↑ Pride in Grove City, "2023 Endorsements," accessed October 26, 2023
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 The Parents' Voice Liskany D'Angelo for South-Western City School Board, "Julie Liskany and Denise D'Angelo Endorsements," accessed October 26, 2023
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 The Columbus Dispatch, "Culture-war issues take center stage in many central Ohio school board races," October 15, 2023
  36. ↑ 1776 Project PAC, "Home," accessed October 26, 2023
  37. ↑ Ohio School Boards Association, "Running for a School Board," accessed October 26, 2023
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