Safest Schools: Ohio Districts Ranked

CLEVELAND, OH — Ohio's safest school districts are located primarily in suburbs around major metro areas like Columbus and Cleveland, according to a recently released ranking. The safest district in the state is the New Albany-Plain Local Schools, but six Northeast Ohio districts made the top 10.

The New Albany-Plain Local district has more than 4,200 students and got an A+ grade for health and safety from niche.com. The school system as a whole also got an A+ rating. The district has four schools.

The district got A or A+ grade on every niche.com report category except for diversity, where the district got a B-.

The second safest district in Ohio is a Cleveland suburb, Westlake. The third safest was Mason City Schools, a suburb of Cincinnati, the fourth safest was Mentor Exempted Village and the fifth was the Solon Schools. That means three of the top five safest districts in the state are in Northeast Ohio.

Some alumnus complained of being monitored constantly at Westlake, saying there was little freedom for students. However, that atmosphere of close-knit safety contributed to the district's high ranking. Similar complaints were lodged by other students at other top-ranking districts.

Similarly, an alumni review of New Albany said the district has a very low crime rate and is "very suburban."

Niche's safest school rankings are based several factors, though the most significant weight – 50 percent– is put on surveys on health and safety by students and parents. The web site also weighed student absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions, law enforcement referrals, and school related arrests.

The rest of the top 10 Ohio Schools are:

6. Jackson Local

7. Independence

8. South Range Local

9. Rocky River

10. Avon

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