Budget Committee
Ohio · IRN 046409 · Clinton County

East Clinton Local School District

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

On the ballot · November 3, 2026

East Clinton Local School District: one referendum question

School district income tax

A 1.25% school district income tax, 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: OSBA levy database (pre-election list)

Enrollment
1,077
2025-26
Performance index
84.0
2025-26
Graduation
95.6%
class of 2025
Spending / pupil
$16,883
2024-25
State share
61%
2024-25
Unreserved balance
21.7%
FY2026
Residential mills
22.0
tax year 2025
Home value
−22%
5-yr avg vs. 6 nearby districts
Enrollment

1,077 students in 2025-26, down from a peak of 1,481 in 2012-13; −10.0% over five years against −10.4% for the regional peer median.

Achievement

Performance index 84.0 of 120 in 2025-26 (Ohio median 88.3); 3.5 stars overall; four-year graduation 95.6%.

Spending

$16,883 per pupil in operating spending (2024-25), below the peer median of $16,998; the state supplies 61% of revenue and local taxes 25%.

Reserves

$3.72 million in general-fund cash at the end of FY2026; the unreserved balance was 21.7% of spending (Ohio median 36.2%).

Property taxes

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

Students

60% economically disadvantaged, 0% English learners, 23.5% with disabilities (2024-25).

East Clinton enrolled 1,077 students in 2025-26. Enrollment peaked at 1,481 in 2012-13. Since 2006-07 it has changed −26.5%, against −20.1% for the regional peer median and −19.5% for the median Ohio district.

East ClintonRegional peers (median)Ohio districts (median)
104968779702006-072010-112014-152018-192025-26

Students

MeasureEast ClintonPeers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Economically disadvantaged60%58%47%73rd2024-25
English learners0.0%0.1%0.4%23rd2021-22
Students with disabilities23.5%17.5%16.1%97th2024-25
Black0.2%0.6%1.1%8th2021-22
Hispanic3.6%3.6%4.2%42nd2024-25
White92.3%91.6%88.7%69th2024-25
Multiracial3.7%4.0%4.4%39th2024-25

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 (for East Clinton, 60% from 2023-24).

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 East Clinton’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.

MeasureEast ClintonRegional peers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Resident students in district schools8608651,18035th2025-26
Resident students on EdChoice37346137th2025-26
Resident students in community (charter) schools42333952nd2025-26
Resident students open-enrolled elsewhere1571089772nd2025-26

Community

MeasureEast ClintonRegional peers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Median household income$63,857$74,519$73,77830th2020–24 ACS
Poverty rate14.4%8.1%9.9%74th2020–24 ACS
Adults with a bachelor's degree15.4%16.1%21.9%19th2020–24 ACS
Median home value$152,600$182,900$196,40021st2020–24 ACS

Home values against nearby districts

Across the five most recent Census releases (2016–20 to 2020–24), the median owner-occupied home in East Clinton averaged $124,960, 22% below the median of the 6 districts within 25 miles ($159,880). That ranks 7th of 7 in the area and at the 19th percentile of Ohio districts (state median $167,900).

ACS 5-year releaseEast ClintonNearby medianDifferenceOhio median
2016–20$103,800$133,250−22%$142,600
2017–21$109,400$142,950−23%$149,100
2018–22$128,300$158,800−19%$167,700
2019–23$130,700$173,100−24%$182,500
2020–24$152,600$182,900−17%$196,400
Five-release average$124,960$159,880−22%$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 25 miles of East Clinton's: Fayetteville-Perry (22 mi, $201,660); Greeneview (18 mi, $169,620); Fairfield Local (8 mi, $166,260); Lynchburg-Clay (14 mi, $153,500); Washington Court House (14 mi, $133,140); Greenfield (15 mi, $128,700).

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: Lynchburg-Clay, Greenfield, Fayetteville-Perry, Washington Court House, Fairfield Local and Greeneview.

East Clinton’s performance index — a weighted average of state test results on a 0–120 scale — was 84.0 in 2025-26, against 82.3 for the peer median and 88.3 for the median Ohio district (33rd percentile).

East ClintonPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
94888276702014-152016-172018-192020-212022-232025-26
MeasureEast ClintonPeer medianregional beneathOhio (median)PercentileYear
Performance index (of 120)84.082.3regional 88.188.333rd2025-26
Performance index, % of maximum76.2%74.7%regional 79.8%80.1%33rd2025-26
Math proficient58.1%53.3%regional 61.5%63.5%38th2025-26
Four-year graduation rate95.6%96.0%regional 97.8%97.2%30thClass of 2025
Chronically absent20.3%19.6%regional 14.0%16.4%67th2025-26
Overall rating (stars)3.53.8regional 3.84.037th2025-26
East ClintonPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
99%95%91%86%82%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.

East Clinton spent $16,883 per pupil on operations in 2024-25, against $16,998 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 61% of East Clinton’s revenue. At the end of FY2026 the district held $3.72 million in general-fund cash, an unreserved balance of 21.7% of a year’s spending.

East ClintonPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
$18,078$15,289$12,501$9,712$6,9242010-112014-152018-192024-25
East ClintonPeers (median)Ohio districts (median)
68%55%42%30%17%FY2014FY2016FY2018FY2020FY2022FY2024FY2026
MeasureEast ClintonPeer medianregional beneathOhio (median)PercentileYear
Operating spending per pupil$16,883$16,998regional $16,312$16,58054th2024-25
Revenue per pupil$16,795$18,863regional $18,296$18,15030th2024-25
State share of revenue61%54%regional 53%43%91st2024-25
Local share of revenue25%29%regional 24%42%15th2024-25
Federal share of revenue8%9%regional 11%6%62nd2024-25
General-fund cash, end of year$3.72 million$6.6 millionregional $11.08 million$8.3 million12thFY2026
Unreserved balance, % of spending21.7%41.5%regional 49.4%36.2%16thFY2026
Average teacher salary$47,868$67,407regional $60,826$69,1631st2024-25
Property value per pupil$237,918$214,337regional $215,108$267,19737th2023-24

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. East Clinton’s effective residential rate was 22.00 mills (Ohio median 24.39). Since January 2026, districts can no longer place new emergency, substitute or replacement levies on the ballot.

MeasureEast ClintonRegional peers (median)Ohio (median)PercentileYear
Effective residential millage, current expenses22.0022.0024.3919thTax year 2025
Effective business millage, current expenses20.0020.0026.587th2024-25
Total voted operating millage29.5025.9041.8720th2024-25
Median property tax on owner-occupied homes$1,523$1,747$2,22819th2020–24 ACS
As a share of household income2.4%2.4%3.1%18th2020–24 ACS

Past school tax issues

East Clinton has put 2 school tax issues to voters since 2018; 1 passed and 1 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 2026Income tax (new), 1.25%Failed33.57%
Nov 2018Combination (new), 0.5 millsPassed58.15%

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 East Clinton 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 East Clinton 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
Lynchburg-ClayHighland14962$17,29613.349.8%
Southeastern Local (Ross)Ross43877$17,46814.055.0%
New LebanonMontgomery46986$16,82113.159.5%
Bloom-VernonScioto64769$18,23113.457.4%
RidgedaleMarion89618$17,17512.959.9%
Mount GileadMorrow90946$18,01712.851.1%
WillardHuron1221,112$17,18513.367.5%
HicksvilleDefiance142867$16,77213.240.7%
UnionBelmont1451,210$16,49413.347.1%
East PalestineColumbiana191911$16,13114.660.1%
GirardTrumbull1961,433$16,62514.065.4%
LibertyTrumbull1981,046$16,41013.776.4%

Regional peers 6 districts

The 6 districts (city, local and exempted-village districts) within 25 miles of East Clinton, straight line between district offices, whose profile on the same four factors is comparable: on average within one standard deviation. 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
Fairfield LocalHighland8805$15,62217.342.7%
Washington Court HouseFayette141,682$17,34616.969.0%
Lynchburg-ClayHighland14962$17,29613.349.8%
GreenfieldHighland151,873$16,78715.169.9%
GreeneviewGreene181,198$14,13316.841.5%
Fayetteville-PerryBrown22664$15,83716.250.4%

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