Budget Committee
Ohio · IRN 048132 · Lorain County

Clearview Local School District

District briefing, fall 2026: enrollment, achievement, finances, property taxes and the levy record.

On the ballot · November 3, 2026

Clearview Local School District: one referendum question

Issue 2 · Renewal levy

Renewal levy of 3.91 mills, 5 years for current expenses.

Summary of the issue’s terms; the official ballot wording had not been published when this briefing was built. Source: Lorain County BOE issues list

Enrollment
1,082
2025-26
Performance index
68.8
2025-26
Graduation
92.6%
class of 2025
Spending / pupil
$17,419
2024-25
State share
72%
2024-25
Unreserved balance
46.9%
FY2026
Residential mills
29.1
tax year 2025
Home value
−11%
5-yr avg vs. 8 nearby districts
Enrollment

1,082 students in 2025-26, down from a peak of 1,761 in 2010-11; −25.7% over five years against −6.9% for the regional peer median (within 35 miles).

Achievement

Performance index 68.8 of 120 in 2025-26 (Ohio median 88.3); 2.5 stars overall; four-year graduation 92.6%.

Spending

$17,419 per pupil in operating spending (2024-25), below the peer median of $17,559; the state supplies 72% of revenue and local taxes 14%.

Reserves

$9.4 million in general-fund cash at the end of FY2026; the unreserved balance was 46.9% of spending (Ohio median 36.2%).

Property taxes

29.08 effective residential mills for current expenses in 2026 (Ohio median 24.39).

Students

100% economically disadvantaged, 2% English learners, 11.4% with disabilities (2024-25).

Clearview enrolled 1,082 students in 2025-26. Enrollment peaked at 1,761 in 2010-11. Since 2006-07 it has changed −31.3%, against −24.7% for the regional peer median (within 35 miles) and −19.5% for the median Ohio district.

ClearviewRegional peers (median)Ohio districts (median)
1171049077642006-072010-112014-152018-192025-26

Students

MeasureClearviewPeers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Economically disadvantaged100%100%47%98th2024-25
English learners2.0%2.3%2.4%42nd2024-25
Students with disabilities11.4%18.4%16.1%12th2024-25
Black14.3%4.1%3.4%80th2024-25
Hispanic43.4%2.3%4.2%99th2024-25
White32.0%93.1%88.7%5th2024-25
Multiracial9.9%3.3%4.4%89th2024-25

Districts that serve free meals to every student report every student as economically disadvantaged. For the 123 Ohio districts where that raised the share by 25 points or more to 95% or above in one year, this briefing uses the district’s last share before the rise.

Where resident students go

Since 2021-22 the state pays community schools, EdChoice private schools and open-enrollment districts directly, so these students no longer appear as deductions in Clearview’s budget, but the district still receives no state aid for them and, for most private and charter students in grades K–8, must provide or pay for transportation.

MeasureClearviewRegional peers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Resident students in district schools5632,1741,18019th2025-26
Resident students on EdChoice613486150th2025-26
Resident students in community (charter) schools1031973978th2025-26
Resident students open-enrolled elsewhere772049739th2025-26

Community

MeasureClearviewRegional peers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Median household income$46,653$59,815$73,7785th2020–24 ACS
Poverty rate17.2%15.4%9.9%82nd2020–24 ACS
Adults with a bachelor's degree11.9%16.3%21.9%7th2020–24 ACS
Median home value$128,300$151,750$196,40011th2020–24 ACS

Home values against nearby districts

Across the five most recent Census releases (2016–20 to 2020–24), the median owner-occupied home in Clearview averaged $114,240, 11% below the median of the 8 districts within 35 miles ($128,210). That ranks 6th of 9 in the area and at the 12th percentile of Ohio districts (state median $167,900).

ACS 5-year releaseClearviewNearby medianDifferenceOhio median
2016–20$93,600$110,000−15%$142,600
2017–21$102,500$113,900−10%$149,100
2018–22$126,600$127,600−1%$167,700
2019–23$120,200$137,350−12%$182,500
2020–24$128,300$151,750−15%$196,400
Five-release average$114,240$128,210−11%$167,900

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, median value of owner-occupied homes (table B25077), in nominal dollars. Consecutive releases share four of their five survey years, so the average is a smoothed level rather than five independent years. Nearby districts are those whose NCES office address lies within 35 miles of Clearview's: Western Reserve Local (Huron) (19 mi, $181,880); Norwalk (27 mi, $155,920); Brooklyn (21 mi, $138,320); South Central (32 mi, $130,340); Elyria (2 mi, $126,080); Sandusky (29 mi, $97,820); Garfield Heights (29 mi, $93,260); Maple Heights (30 mi, $83,580).

Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Report Card and District Profile (Cupp) Report; U.S. Census ACS 5-year. Student characteristics compare with the peers; enrollment, school choice and community figures with the regional peers (within 35 miles): Sandusky, Maple Heights, South Central, Elyria, Brooklyn, Garfield Heights, Western Reserve Local (Huron) and Norwalk.

Clearview’s performance index — a weighted average of state test results on a 0–120 scale — was 68.8 in 2025-26, against 80.6 for the peer median and 88.3 for the median Ohio district (6th percentile).

ClearviewPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
96867667572014-152016-172018-192020-212022-232025-26
MeasureClearviewPeer medianregional beneathOhio (median)PercentileYear
Performance index (of 120)68.880.6regional 73.288.36th2025-26
Performance index, % of maximum62.4%73.1%regional 66.4%80.1%6th2025-26
Math proficient28.2%52.5%regional 38.3%63.5%3rd2025-26
Four-year graduation rate92.6%94.0%regional 95.1%97.2%14thClass of 2025
Chronically absent41.4%23.7%regional 29.9%16.4%97th2025-26
Overall rating (stars)2.53.0regional 3.04.04th2025-26
ClearviewPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
98%95%92%89%86%2013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222024-25

Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Report Card. No state tests in 2019-20; star ratings began in 2022-23.

Clearview spent $17,419 per pupil on operations in 2024-25, against $17,559 for the peer median and $16,580 for the median Ohio district. Ohio’s formula assumes each district can raise a local share based on its property values and residents’ incomes; the state supplied 72% of Clearview’s revenue. At the end of FY2026 the district held $9.4 million in general-fund cash, an unreserved balance of 46.9% of a year’s spending.

ClearviewPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
$18,656$15,822$12,988$10,154$7,3202010-112014-152018-192024-25
ClearviewPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
97%73%49%24%0%FY2014FY2016FY2018FY2020FY2022FY2024FY2026
MeasureClearviewPeer medianregional beneathOhio (median)PercentileYear
Operating spending per pupil$17,419$17,559regional $18,345$16,58062nd2024-25
Revenue per pupil$17,894$18,728regional $20,972$18,15045th2024-25
State share of revenue72%59%regional 48%43%99th2024-25
Local share of revenue14%21%regional 34%42%2nd2024-25
Federal share of revenue10%14%regional 11%6%79th2024-25
General-fund cash, end of year$9.4 million$6.39 millionregional $10.31 million$8.3 million56thFY2026
Unreserved balance, % of spending46.9%33.0%regional 27.0%36.2%76thFY2026
Average teacher salary$73,340$68,636regional $72,045$69,16368th2024-25
Property value per pupil$113,220$202,825regional $233,567$267,1972nd2023-24

ODEW District Profile (Cupp) Report; five-year forecast actuals (general operating funds, cash basis) as filed with ODEW.

Ohio’s H.B. 920 reduction factors cut the effective rate of voted levies as property values rise, so most levies raise a fixed number of dollars and districts must return to voters to keep pace; no district’s effective current-expense rate can fall below 20 mills. Clearview’s effective residential rate was 29.08 mills (Ohio median 24.39). Since January 2026, districts can no longer place new emergency, substitute or replacement levies on the ballot.

MeasureClearviewRegional peers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Effective residential millage, current expenses29.0830.7424.3975thTax year 2025
Effective business millage, current expenses26.1938.0126.5849th2024-25
Total voted operating millage43.3558.6041.8753rd2024-25
Median property tax on owner-occupied homes$1,929$2,019$2,22838th2020–24 ACS
As a share of household income4.1%3.4%3.1%81st2020–24 ACS

Past school tax issues

Clearview has put 5 school tax issues to voters since 2016; 2 passed and 3 failed. Statewide, the Ohio School Boards Association records 2,342 school tax issues from 2016 through May 2026; 66% passed, and 39% of new-money issues.

ElectionIssueResultYes vote
May 2025Emergency (renewal), 2.52 millsPassed52.82%
May 2022Emergency (renewal), 2.58 millsFailed43.88%
Nov 2021Emergency (renewal), 2.86 millsFailed49.23%
May 2021Bond (renewal), 2.86 millsFailed44.59%
Nov 2016Emergency (renewal), 7.01 millsPassed56.44%

Ohio School Boards Association school election results (unofficial), 2016–2026.

Ohio Department of Taxation and ODEW District Profile Report (effective millage); U.S. Census ACS 5-year; Ohio School Boards Association election results.

Wherever this briefing sets Clearview beside other districts, it uses the groups below. A group figure is the middle value across its members, each counted equally, so one large member cannot dominate it.

Peers 12 districts

The 12 Ohio districts (city, local and exempted-village districts) most like Clearview on four equally weighted factors: total enrollment (compared as a ratio), operating spending per pupil, students per teacher and the share of economically disadvantaged students, each difference scaled by how much the factor varies across districts, and none more than two standard deviations away on any one. The group starts with nearby districts that match closely (within half a standard deviation on average) and fills the rest from anywhere in the state. Peers carry the achievement, spending and staffing comparisons.

DistrictCountyMilesEnrollmentOperating spending per pupilStudents per teacherEcon. disadvantaged
SanduskyErie292,969$19,38216.399.3%
CoshoctonCoshocton821,458$17,55117.297.7%
Pymatuning ValleyAshtabula831,072$17,16415.599.9%
WellstonJackson1601,198$19,54015.9100.0%
WaverlyPike1641,608$15,83715.399.8%
Oak Hill UnionJackson176998$17,64114.6100.0%
Gallia CountyGallia1801,963$18,78516.399.8%
North College HillHamilton1981,289$18,06117.997.7%
IrontonLawrence2021,172$17,12417.599.9%
Manchester Local (Adams)Adams203619$17,34715.699.5%
Dawson-BryantLawrence2041,039$17,56816.799.8%
South PointLawrence2091,300$16,76216.499.1%

Regional peers 8 districts

The 8 districts (city, local and exempted-village districts) within 35 miles of Clearview, straight line between district offices, whose profile on the same four factors is comparable: on average within one standard deviation. Fewer than five comparable districts lie within 25 miles, so the radius was widened. They carry enrollment, property taxes and home values, and their median sits beneath the peer median elsewhere. A district in both groups appears in both lists.

DistrictCountyMilesEnrollmentOperating spending per pupilStudents per teacherEcon. disadvantaged
ElyriaLorain25,631$16,54014.599.9%
Western Reserve Local (Huron)Huron19875$17,30819.355.7%
BrooklynCuyahoga211,135$22,26915.670.4%
NorwalkHuron272,338$14,79016.857.9%
SanduskyErie292,969$19,38216.399.3%
Garfield HeightsCuyahoga292,542$22,25314.399.3%
Maple HeightsCuyahoga302,666$20,88016.7100.0%
South CentralHuron32678$17,25814.858.0%

“Ohio median” is the middle value across Ohio’s city, local and exempted-village school districts; career centers and community schools are left out.