839 students were enrolled for eighth grade in Marion County schools in 2023-24 school year

There were 839 eighth grade students enrolled in Marion County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 8.2% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Ulysses S. Grant Middle School welcomed most of the eighth grade students in the county, registering 277 students.

Within Marion County schools, the highest student count was found in ninth grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in pre-kindergarten.

Statewide, Marion County ranked 32nd in enrollment numbers, with a total of 11,419 students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year. It was ranked 33rd the year before.

In 2022, Ohio saw an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 1:15, which is an improvement for the state and is lower than the national average of 1:16.

Despite the apparent improvement, this positive trend is overshadowed by a general decline in public school enrollments, which was accelerated by the pandemic. This decline, aligned with the steady number of teachers in the state over the last 10 years, has led to low student-to-teacher ratios.