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9-15-2026 10:12pm
Do Teacher Salaries and School District Size Play A Role In The School District Report Card Grade?
Beth Callahan
Editor
WARREN COUNTY, OH -- The 2025-26 Ohio School Report Cards, which Ohio released Sept. 15, 2026, shares each district's average salary of classroom teachers (not the average pay of all district employees or administrators) and the district's student enrollment.
The graph below shows the student enrollment numbers, average teacher salary, then, the overall report card grade. It also shows some interesting comparisons.
For instance:
Mason is in a category of its own in size. Its enrollment of 9,726 is almost 4,000 students greater than second-place Springboro's 5,763. Mason also reports the highest average classroom teacher salary, at $98,632.
But a larger district does not automatically mean higher teacher salary. Loveland is only the eighth-largest of these districts, with 3,935 students, yet it has the second-highest teacher salary at $91,225.
Franklin is an even more striking example: It ranks 13th in enrollment with 2,548 students, but its $82,117 average teacher salary ranks fourth among the 17.
Wayne Local is another standout. It is the second-smallest district, with 1,455 students, but its teachers average $80,620, sixth-highest among these districts.
At the other end, Little Miami is the fifth-largest district, serving 5,359 students, but its $68,843 average teacher salary is the second-lowest of the 17.
Blanchester has both the smallest enrollment, 1,096 students, and the lowest reported average salary, $64,607.
| Size rank | School district | Student enrollment | Avg. teacher salary | 2025-26 overall rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mason City | 9,726 | $98,632 | 5.0 ★ |
| 2 | Springboro Community City | 5,763 | $74,612 | 4.5 ★ |
| 3 | Middletown City | 5,620 | $76,259 | 2.0 ★ |
| 4 | Princeton City | 5,556 | $88,508 | 4.0 ★ |
| 5 | Little Miami Local | 5,359 | $68,843 | 4.5 ★ |
| 6 | Kings Local | 4,906 | $81,514 | 4.5 ★ |
| 7 | Lebanon City | 4,681 | $78,218 | 4.5 ★ |
| 8 | Loveland City | 3,935 | $91,225 | 5.0 ★ |
| 9 | Xenia Community City | 3,516 | $75,945 | 3.0 ★ |
| 10 | Monroe Local | 2,718 | $70,874 | 4.0 ★ |
| 11 | Goshen Local | 2,601 | $72,536 | 5.0 ★ |
| 12 | Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local | 2,572 | $75,928 | 5.0 ★ |
| 13 | Franklin City | 2,548 | $82,117 | 3.0 ★ |
| 14 | Clinton-Massie Local | 1,525 | $69,839 | 4.5 ★ |
| 15 | Carlisle Local | 1,489 | $72,186 | 3.5 ★ |
| 16 | Wayne Local | 1,455 | $80,620 | 4.5 ★ |
| 17 | Blanchester Local | 1,096 | $64,607 | 4.5 ★ |
Information gathered from 2025-26 Ohio School Report Cards.
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Replies
James Ebel
Neighbor
9-16-2026 3:17pm
I done a full statistical analysis of the question of whether enrollment or salary affect overall rating. Overall I've done a full statistical analysis of the question of whether enrollment or salary affect overall rating. Overall rating is essentially independent of both student enrollment and average teacher salary in this set of 17 districts. Neither variable explains more than about 2% of the variation in ratings, and neither relationship is statistically distinguishable from zero. Whatever is driving the 2025-26 scores, it is not district scale or teacher compensation — identifying it would require additional variables and, given the small sample and compressed rating range, a broader set of districts.
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