By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The latest batch of state report cards for public schools ranks Bowling Green City Schools in the top 15% of districts in Ohio.
In Wood County, only Perrysburg schools ranked higher with the top score of 5. Bowling Green and Eastwood both earned scores of 4.5.
Other local districts came in lower, with Northwood and Otsego ranked at 4; Lake, Elmwood and Rossford receiving scores of 3.5; and North Baltimore ranking lowest in the county at 3.
“This is just a snapshot of our district,” but it is a good reflection of the quality of education at Bowling Green City Schools, Superintendent Ted Haselman said earlier today.
“The 4.5 stars is an indication we are providing a great education to the students of Bowling Green City Schools,” he said.
“We’re in the top 15% of all the schools in the state of Ohio. I’m very proud of that,” Haselman said.
This is the second year in a row for BG Schools to score 4.5 on the state report card. The ranking is due to the district working together to provide a top notch education, he said.
“This isn’t something that just happens,” he said. “This is a culmination of many staff, parents’ and students’ efforts.”
Such continued high marks reassure the community that their children are getting a quality education, Haselman said.
“Community members do look at that to see if they are getting a good value.”
The lowest score received by BG City Schools was a 3 in the area of early literacy. The district continues to use the Science of Reading curriculum that is now required statewide. But more needs to be done, Haselman said.
“We need to continue to monitor this,” he said. “We are looking at different curriculum for early readers. We’re hoping we’re going to see that number move up.”
Following is the letter on the latest state report cards, written by Haselman to the community, released Monday morning:
Today, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce officially released the Ohio School Report Card from the 2024-25 school year. The Report Card results are based on student assessments given last school year along with other measured indicators. Every public school in Ohio receives a School Report Card.
Ohio School Report Cards provide parents, caregivers, community members, educators, and district leaders information about district and school performance — to celebrate successes and identify areas for improvement. The information provides transparent reporting to drive local conversations on continuous improvement and identifying needed supports.
The 2025 District Report Card provides an overview and explanation of six key components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Early Literacy, Graduation Rate, and College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR). Districts and schools receive an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars, in half-star increments, with 5 stars being the highest.
Bowling Green City Schools has again achieved an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. This is the district’s second straight year earning an overall rating of 4.5-stars.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce describes an overall 4.5-star rating as “exceeds state standards.”
When reviewing the Overall Rating Points, the number that determines the star rating for a district, BGCS’ Overall Rating Points ranked the district in the top 15% of all Ohio School Districts.
After thoroughly reviewing the entire Report Card and analyzing the data much more deeply, there are many examples indicating the students of Bowling Green City Schools receive a quality education. Below is a breakdown of each Report Card component.
● An area in which the district’s Report Card was strong was in the area of Progress. This component measures year-to-year academic growth of our students and is measured by looking at the current achievement of a group of students compared to prior achievement results on Ohio’s State Tests. The state expects each student to “grow” or show one year’s worth of growth in a tested subject. For example, if a student’s reading level is 4.5, a year’s worth of growth would show an ending reading level of 5.5 and would equate to a component score of a 3-star rating. In Progress, for the second consecutive year, the district earned a 5-star rating! This high rating indicates our students are achieving more than expected growth and is described by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce as “significant evidence the district exceeded student growth expectations by a larger magnitude.” Bowling Green students are showing more than a year’s worth of growth!
● The Achievement component represents whether student performance on state tests met established thresholds and how well students performed on tests overall. BGCS earned a 4-star rating for this report card component for the second consecutive year. The district’s Performance Index score, a score within the overall calculation of the Achievement component rating, increased from last year’s reporting. According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce this rating indicates “the district is exceeding state standards in academic achievement.”
● The Report Card area of Gap Closing was another strong area for BGCS. Ensuring success for every child means that schools must close gaps that exist in the achievement between groups of students based on factors such as income, race, ethnicity, or disability. Our district’s student demographic determines the district’s subgroups once thresholds have been met (a specific number of students in the population demographic). In Gap Closing BGCS received a 4-star rating. It is important we close these gaps ensuring all students show achievement, and this component rating is proof that we are doing just that. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce describes the 4-star rating as “exceeds state standards in closing educational gaps.”
● In the Graduation component the district earned a 4-star rating with 95.3% of our Bobcats graduating in four (4) years. This high rating indicates BGCS supports our students until the end of their K-12 educational career. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce describes the 4-star rating as “exceeds state standards in graduation rates.”
● The College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness (CCWMR) measure shows how well our schools are preparing students for life after graduation. This is a new component of the State Report Card. The CCWMR looks beyond test scores to see whether students are ready for the next step—whether that’s earning college credit, earning qualifying scores in Advanced Placement courses, completing an apprenticeship, gaining industry credentials, entering the workforce, or enlisting in the military. This measure highlights our commitment to giving every student multiple pathways to success after high school. The district earned a 4-star rating for the CCWMR component and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce describes this rating as “the district is exceeding state standards in post-secondary readiness.”
● The Early Literacy component shows how school districts are working to support struggling readers in kindergarten through grade 3. The district earned a 3-star rating on this component. BGCS has worked extensively over the last few years to increase our K-3 Literacy Achievement and we recognize this remains an area of growth and improvement. The district’s rating meets the state’s expectation however we will continue our efforts to improve the literacy of our youngest learners.
There is no doubt this Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Report Card data is proof that Bowling Green City Schools continues to make progress and continuous improvement. The district is very proud of our accomplishment and I hope you as a community member are as well. The ratings in our Ohio State Report Card are a result of everyone’s hard work.
To view the district’s Report Card online, visit reportcard.education.ohio.gov. To review the state’s Guide to the 2024-2025 Ohio School Report Cards, please click Report Card Guide.
While the Ohio State Report Card is important and a measurement tool of our district, we know Bowling Green City Schools does so much more than what can be reported on a district report card. Last spring, the district published the first edition of our Quality Profile, a document highlighting what sets BGCS apart and outlines the well-rounded education we provide to our students.
