Black River Education Center Middle School

Set in Sullivan, Ohio, Black River Education Center Middle School is a micro-enrollment middle school, operated by Black River Local. It instructs 153 students across grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 68% leaner than the state mean of about 482.

Within Black River Local, which oversees 3 schools and 935 students, Black River Education Center Middle School is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Black River Education Center Middle School shows that 90% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest is composed of 6% Hispanic, 4% multiracial.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 17.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 98% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Ashland County runs at roughly 50%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Black River Education Center Middle School sits in the top 10% of Ohio schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 51.8%; actual is 65.2%, +13.4 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Ashland County) reports that median household income runs about $69,860, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Ashland County's 21 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,940 students), Black River Education Center Middle School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Black River Education Center Elementary School, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Black River Education Center Middle School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 70.3%.

The campus sits in a low-density setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 43%: 269 students in 2018 compared to 153 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 96% to 90% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 14.2:1 in 2018 to 10.9:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Black River Education Center Middle School typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.