Seaborn Elementary School kindergarten teacher Daniel Riccitelli (left) reads the Thanksgiving story to his kindergarten class during story time… (Seabourn has three kindergarten classes)… Written by R. Michael Semple
Ranking of the best performing schools in Ohio and the nation, US News & World Report
mahoning county
primary school
• West Boulevard Elementary (Boardman SD) – Ohio 76
• Robinwood Lane Elementary School (Boardman SD) – Ohio 107
• Stadium Drive Elementary School (Boardman SD) – Ohio 111
• Springfield Elementary School (Springfield SD) – Ohio 101
• South Range Elementary School (South Range SD) – Ohio 129
• CH Campbell Elementary School (Canfield SD) – Ohio 141
junior high school
• Canfield Middle (Canfield SD) – Ohio State 24
• Jackson Milton Middle (Jackson Milton SD) – Ohio State 109
• Poland Middle (Poland SD) – Ohio 136
• South Range Middle (South Range SD) – Ohio 61
• Springfield Intermediate (Springfield SD) – Ohio State 141
• Western Reserve Middle (Western Reserve SD) – Ohio State 95
trumbull county
primary school
• Seaborn Elementary School (Wethersfield SD) – Ohio 134
• Maplewood Elementary School (Maplewood SD) – Ohio 149
junior high school
• Champion Middle (Champion SD) – 91st in Ohio.
• Lakeview Middle (Lakeview SD) – Ohio 103
Sixteen schools in the Mahoning Valley were named among the top performing schools in the state and nationally, according to a report that determines the best elementary and middle schools in Ohio and the United States in 2025.
The schools were ranked by U.S. News & World Report this month based on the percentage of students who scored proficient or above on state assessments in math, reading and language arts, the paper said.
However, raw test scores were only half of the evaluation.
Test results related to socioeconomic demographics, such as the percentage of students who received free or reduced-price lunch, made up the other half of the rankings. We also took into account publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, taking into account factors such as teacher qualifications and student-teacher ratios.
All three elementary schools in the Boardman Regional School District are among the highest-performing of the state’s 3,500 elementary schools, according to U.S. News. These schools are West Boulevard, which is ranked #76; Robinwood Lane, 107th place. and Stadium Drive ranked 111th. These schools rank highest among all Mahoning Valley elementary schools on the list.
This is the fourth year this award has been given.
seabourn elementary school
Seabourn Elementary School ranked 134th in the report. This is the third time Seabourn Elementary School has been recognized by the press as a top-performing school, having previously been recognized in 2022 and 2024.
According to the media’s data, 82% of students scored at or above proficiency level in math, and 80% scored at or above proficiency level in reading. In Ohio, 57% of students test at or above the proficiency level in reading, and 51% test at or above the proficiency level on the math test, making this school’s students lower than students across the state on this measure. They had good grades in math and reading.
Seabourn Elementary School Principal TJ Koniowski considered the school’s receiving this award an “incredible honor.”
“Since COVID-19, it seems like our kids, teachers and everyone have really stepped up. We’ve continued to grow since then,” Koniowski said. “We won the Blue Ribbon School Award in 2022, then the 5-Star Award, and we have won the 5-Star Award again this year. Our children and staff continue to improve their game and , this is very remarkable and is a testament to the hard work of our teachers, children and families who are so supportive of education and Mineral Ridge.”
Seabourn Elementary School received a five-star rating in the state report card results released in September.
Although the school was less than perfect, earning four stars in the early literacy grade, Koniowski said this is a difficult area for any school to improve.
“So in 2023 it was three. It was three stars. So it’s already gone up one star and that (four) is actually a very, very difficult star rating to get. ,” Koniowski said. “Yesterday, we had a principals meeting in the county. They talked about it specifically, and it’s one of the hardest things to do. Only about a single-digit percentage in the state got five stars. I think it’s just people.”
Koniowski said he would like to see the state test and focus more on what happens in the spring rather than the fall so that teachers and staff have a chance to play a role in influencing scores.
“We’re basically focusing on fall testing for freshmen, sophomores and juniors because we’re comparing each fall, right?” Koniowski said. “And then you have a kid who’s probably separated and lived with the other parent all summer and hasn’t been able to engage in schoolwork and gotten lower grades than expected. Then that’s a big deal.”
“Our methods and strategies are proven. Our teachers are great teachers, we care about our kids, and that’s why scores typically go down where they go down,” he said. added.
Although unavailable for comment Friday afternoon, Wethersfield Superintendent Damon Dohar praised Koniowski and the school’s students and staff for receiving the recognition for the third time in a news release Thursday.
“Their hard work and dedication has been recognized at many levels in the educational community,” Dohar said. “We are all proud to once again celebrate their recognition as one of the top elementary schools in Ohio.”
Niles Intermediate School
Niles Intermediate School ranks #517 out of 1,577 schools in the ranking, putting it in the top 40% of public elementary schools in Ohio. This is the third time the school has been honored, having previously been honored in 2022 and 2024.
According to U.S. News & World Report data, 61% of students scored at or above proficiency level in math, and 58% scored at or above proficiency level in reading.
Kimberly Burrell, chair of the Niles City Schools Board of Education, said she was “couldn’t be more excited” about the school’s ranking.
“We are grateful and proud of our staff for their hard work and dedication,” Burrell said. “I think it speaks volumes about how dedicated they are to their students.”
Principal Chris Stough shared that sentiment and also addressed this year’s report card scores.
“This accomplishment reflects the dedication of our students, faculty, and staff,” Stough said. “This recognition is especially rewarding as we also received a 4.5 star rating from the Ohio Department of Education’s State Report Card.”
