MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—Marion City Schools sustained its overall 3-Star rating on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s 2025-26 State Report Card for the second consecutive year, with gains in Graduation Rate and College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness — both climbing from 2 Stars to 3 Stars. Harding High School and Garfield Elementary led the district’s strongest improvements.
The State Report Card is issued annually by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and rates every public school district and building on a 5-star scale across six measures — Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation Rate, Early Literacy, and College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness — which roll up into an overall rating.
By the Numbers:
● Overall district rating: 3 Stars, sustained for the second straight year
● Graduation Rate: 2 Stars → 3 Stars (four-year rate up from 85.5% to 91.3%)
● College, Career, Workforce & Military Readiness: 2 Stars → 3 Stars (up from 58.4% to 69.7% of students meeting benchmarks)
● District Performance Index: up two years running, from 63.3 (2023-24) to 67.9 (2025-26)
● Harding High School: overall rating up from 3 to 3.5 Stars, driving the district’s grad rate and readiness gains
● Garfield Elementary: overall rating up a full star, from 2.5 to 3.5 Stars, with a 5-Star Gap Closing rating, up from 2 Stars.
“This report card confirms what we’ve felt in our classrooms: momentum,” said Brian Murphy, superintendent of Marion City Schools. “Our graduation rate is climbing, more students are leaving Harding ready for college, a career, or the military, and we’re steadily closing gaps. We’re proud of this progress, and we’re not slowing down