Husky Pride

Dear Northwestern Families,

    Northwestern Local Schools earned an overall 4-star rating on the 2025–2026 Ohio School Report Card, up from 3.5 stars in the past two years. We were also very close to reaching 4.5 stars! 

        That progress belongs to all of us. It represents the hard work of our students, teachers, support staff, administrators, families, coaches, and volunteers. It represents the work happening every day in our classrooms, hallways, offices, cafeterias, buses, and throughout our schools. It is also our families and community working together with the schools.

Northwestern Elementary ~ 4.5 Stars. Our elementary continues to perform at a very high level, including another 5-star rating in Gap Closing for the second consecutive year.

Northwestern Middle School ~3.5 Stars. The middle school improved its overall rating for the third consecutive year, from 2.5 stars to 3 stars, and now to 3.5 stars. Achievement and Progress both improved.

Northwestern High School ~ 4 Stars. Our high school made meaningful gains in Achievement, Progress, Graduation, and College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness. Graduation earned 5 stars! 

    At the district level, we also saw improvements in Progress, Graduation, and College, Career, and Workforce Readiness components. We still have areas to improve, including Chronic Absenteeism, Gifted services, and Gap Closing. But we are moving in the right direction. And that is something worth celebrating.

    Something else has been pretty amazing across the district that can't be measured on the Report Card. You see it on our campus on a fall evening. You will see our student-athletes competing and representing Northwestern with pride. You'll hear our band performing. You'll see families, grandparents, friends, neighbors, coaches, and volunteers filling the stands and cheering for our Huskies. You'll see teachers and staff supporting students long after the school day ends. You'll see volunteers giving their time, energy, and heart to help our kids become better athletes, and better students.

    When our campus is full, the energy is hard to put into words. Good conversations are happening. People are connecting. Kids are being encouraged. Our community is showing up for one another. To our students, staff, parents, families, coaches, volunteers, and community: Thank you for showing up. Thank you for believing in our kids. And thank you for continuing to make Northwestern a place we can all be proud to call home. We have more work to do. We will keep learning, keep improving, keep communicating, and keep pushing ourselves to be better.

With Husky Pride, 

Julie H. McCumber