Majority of fourth graders struggling

By Megan Henry/Ohio Capital Journal

Despite Ohio ranking 12th in education overall, 68 percent of Ohio fourth graders were not proficient in reading and 68 percent of Ohio eighth graders were not proficient in math, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. 

The study shows the percentage of Ohio students not proficient in reading has increased four percent from 2019 and Ohio students not proficient in math has jumped six percent since 2019. 

Despite those increases, Ohio fared better than the rest of the country. 70 percent of American fourth graders were not proficient in reading and 73 percent of American eighth graders were not proficient in math, according to the report.

Ohio ranked 27th in the nation overall, 12th in the nation for education, 26th for health, 27th for economic well-being, 27th for child well-being, and 33rd for family and community, according to the study released last month. This is the 37th edition of the foundation’s data book. 

“Our current rankings reveal the urgent need for policies that reduce child poverty, improve educational outcomes, and expand health coverage,” Ohio’s Children’s Defense Fund Director John Stanford said in a statement. 

“We cannot afford to wait—our children’s futures depend on it.” 

Ohio school districts were required to teach the science of reading curriculum starting with the 2024-25 school year, one year after the law was enacted through the 2023 state budget.

The science of reading is based on decades of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine often touts the science of reading and lists it among some of the most important work he has done for Ohio’s children.

Ohio’s literacy scores were down from last year, with 61.3 percent of third graders reading at or above grade level in the 2024-25 school year compared to 64.5 percent from the 2023-24 school year, according to the most recent state report cards that were released in September.

DeWine recently signed an academic interventions bill into law which requires school districts or individual schools to provide academic interventions for free to students who scored at a limited skill level in a state assessment test in math or English language arts, or both.

Ohio high school students not graduating on time declined — going from 18 percent in 2018-19 to 12 percent in 2023-24, according to the report. Nationally, 13 percent of high school students did not graduate on time. 

There were 165,000 Ohio children ages 3 and 4 not in school from 2020-24 — going from 55 percent from 2015-19 to 59 percent from 2020-24, the study said. The national rate was 54 percent. 

The study showed Ohio’s child poverty rate decreased since 2019 — dropping from 18 percent to 16 percent in 2024. 

There were 417,000 Ohio children living in poverty in 2024; 661,000 children whose parents lack secure employment, 632,000 children living in households with a high housing cost burden, and 38,000 teenagers not in school and not working, according to the report.  

Nationally, 15 percent of children were living in poverty.

Health

Nearly nine percent of babies in Ohio were born with low birth weight in 2024 — totaling 11,158, according to the study. 

About 152,000 Ohio children (six percent) did not have health insurance — a percentage point better from 2019. About 1.4 million Ohio children are enrolled in Medicaid. 

The percentage of Ohio children 10-17 who were overweight or obese dropped from 35 percent in 2018-19 to 31 percent in 2023-24, the study says. The national rate was 30 percent. 

Economic well-being

Nearly 14 percent of Ohio children are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, the study says. 

About a third of Ohio children were living in single-parent families — totaling 852,000, according to the study. This is a decrease from 37 percent in 2019. 

10 percent of Ohio children lived in high-poverty areas during 2020-24, a decrease from 12 percent in 2019. 

Nationally, seven percent of children were living in high-poverty areas. 

“Every number in this report tells a story about Ohio’s children—stories of resilience, disparities, and potential,” Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio Policy and Research Manager Christian Davis said in a statement. 

“It’s time for Ohio to prioritize investments in early childhood, education, health, and family stability. Our children’s well-being should be a shared responsibility and a top priority for all policymakers.”