Which central Ohio schools get the best results for their money?

Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?

On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.

However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.

Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.

Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.

“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”

More: How do central Ohio school districts score on state metrics? See the report cards

Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.

“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”

Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?

The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.

The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.

The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.

Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):

• Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
• Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
• Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
• Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
• Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
• Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
• New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
• Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
• Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
• Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
• Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
• Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
• Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
• Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
• Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
• Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
• South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
• Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
• Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
• Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
• Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
• Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
• London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
• Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
• Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
• Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
• Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
• Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85

Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report