Total enrollment
27,757
-3,441 (-11%) vs SY 2017-18
Lake County
Ohio · Public K-12
Lake County serves about 27,899 K-12 students across 65 public schools, an average of roughly 429 students per campus. That works out to 31 elementary, 11 middle, and 14 high schools.
7-year change in Lake County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
54
-3 (-5%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
71%
was 78%
% Hispanic
12%
was 9%
% Black
8%
was 6%
% Asian
1%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Residents
232,216
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
65
13 districts
Enrollment
27,899
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$80,925
Above Ohio avg
Free/reduced lunch
39.3%
Below Ohio avg
Elementary
31
12,175 students
Middle
11
5,910 students
High
14
9,732 students
Combined / other
9
82 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
Mentor Exempted Village
6,896 students · 13 districts in Lake County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Lake County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
31.6%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
5.3%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
3.9%
civilian labor
Median age
44
19.3% under 18
Test scores in Lake County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 47 schools ranked. Ohio state average: 59.8%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- School of Innovation· 92.8%
- Kirtland Elementary School· 88.6%
- Kirtland Middle School· 88.5%
- Hopkins Elementary School· 87.5%
- Parkside Elementary School· 83.4%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- Elm Street Elementary School· 30.1%
- Heritage Middle School· 30.3%
- Maple Elementary School· 36.9%
- Chestnut Elementary School· 42.4%
- Harvey High School· 46.9%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mentor High School | Mentor | High | 09-12 | 2,217 | · |
| Riverside Jr/Sr High School | Painesville | High | 08-12 | 1,578 | · |
| North High School | Eastlake | High | 09-12 | 1,231 | · |
| South High School | Willoughby | High | 09-12 | 995 | · |
| Memorial Middle School | Mentor | Middle | 06-08 | 852 | · |
| Harvey High School | Painesville | High | 09-12 | 847 | · |
| Madison High School | Madison | High | 09-12 | 818 | · |
| Shore Middle School | Mentor | Middle | 06-08 | 752 | · |
| Henry F Lamuth Middle School | Painesville | Middle | 05-07 | 703 | · |
| Royalview Elementary School | Willowick | Elementary | KG-05 | 689 | · |
| Ridge Elementary School | Mentor | Elementary | KG-05 | 661 | · |
| Wickliffe Lower School | Wickliffe | Elementary | PK-06 | 642 | · |
| Riverview Elementary School | Painesville | Elementary | KG-05 | 615 | · |
| Madison Middle School | Madison | Middle | 06-08 | 605 | · |
| Heritage Middle School | Painesville | Middle | 06-08 | 602 | · |
| Wickliffe Upper School | Wickliffe | High | 07-12 | 586 | · |
| North Elementary School | Madison | Elementary | KG-05 | 572 | · |
| Parkside Elementary School | Concord Twp | Elementary | KG-05 | 551 | · |
| Edison Elementary School | Willoughby | Elementary | KG-05 | 543 | · |
| Perry Elementary School | Perry | Elementary | PK-04 | 538 | · |
| Grant Elementary School | Willoughby | Elementary | KG-05 | 518 | · |
| Perry High School | Perry | High | 09-12 | 509 | · |
| Willoughby Middle School | Willoughby | Middle | 06-08 | 509 | · |
| South Elementary School | Madison | Elementary | KG-05 | 506 | · |
| Hopkins Elementary School | Mentor | Elementary | KG-05 | 466 | · |
| Bellflower Elementary School | Mentor | Elementary | KG-05 | 465 | · |
| Kirtland Elementary School | Kirtland | Elementary | PK-05 | 452 | · |
| School of Innovation | Willoughby | Middle | 03-08 | 448 | · |
| Perry Middle School | Perry | Middle | 05-08 | 443 | · |
| Longfellow Elementary School | Eastlake | Elementary | KG-05 | 432 | · |
| Maple Elementary School | Painesville | Elementary | PK-05 | 432 | · |
| Elm Street Elementary School | Painesville | Elementary | KG-05 | 429 | · |
| Chestnut Elementary School | Painesville | Elementary | KG-05 | 425 | · |
| Willowick Middle School | Willowick | Middle | 06-08 | 404 | · |
| Jefferson Elementary School | Eastlake | Elementary | KG-05 | 402 | · |
| Buckeye Elementary School | Painesville | Elementary | PK-04 | 366 | · |
| Orchard Hollow Elementary School | Mentor | Elementary | KG-05 | 359 | · |
| Kirtland High School | Kirtland | High | 09-12 | 335 | · |
| Eastlake Middle School | Eastlake | Middle | 06-08 | 330 | · |
| Fairfax Elementary School | Mentor | Elementary | KG-05 | 310 | · |
| Melridge Elementary School | Painesville | Elementary | PK-04 | 299 | · |
| Sterling Morton Elementary School | Mentor | Elementary | KG-05 | 298 | · |
| Fairport Harding High School | Fairport Harbor | High | 06-12 | 291 | · |
| Lake Elementary School | Mentor On The Lake | Elementary | KG-05 | 272 | · |
| Kirtland Middle School | Kirtland | Middle | 06-08 | 262 | · |
| Mckinley Elementary School | Fairport Harbor | Elementary | KG-05 | 239 | · |
| Willoughby-Eastlake Preschool | Eastlake | Elementary | PK-PK | 212 | · |
| iSTEM | Painesville | High | 06-12 | 177 | · |
| Northern Career Institute | Willoughby | High | 11-12 | 148 | · |
| Riverside Preschool | Painesville | Elementary | PK-PK | 142 | · |
| Madison Pre-K | Madison | Elementary | PK-PK | 129 | · |
| Garfield Preschool | Mentor | Elementary | PK-PK | 124 | · |
| Cardinal Autism Resource and Education School (CARES) | Mentor | Combined | KG-12 | 82 | · |
| Lake Erie Bilingual Academy | Painesville | Elementary | KG-05 | 49 | · |
| Mentor High School Preschool | Mentor | Elementary | PK-PK | 38 | · |
| Auburn Vocational | Painesville | High | 10-12 | 0 | · |
| Harvey Academy | Painesville | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| Wickliffe Virtual Academy | Wickliffe | Combined | KG-12 | 0 | · |
| Madison Online Learning Academy | Madison | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Perry Virtual Learning School | Perry | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Red Raider Preschool | Painesville | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Riverside Virtual Academy | Painesville | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Summit Academy Community School - Painesville | Painesville | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Wickliffe Middle School | Wickliffe | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools Online Academy | Eastlake | Combined | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Lake County
About Lake County
Lake County is a moderately sized county of about 232,216 residents in Ohio. Its public-school system enrolls approximately 27,899 students across 65 schools.
For perspective, census numbers show the median household earns about $80,925 a year, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. That income level is 16% higher than the Ohio median.
On the level-by-level breakdown, Lake County spans 31 elementary schools (12,175 students), 11 middle schools (5,910), 14 high schools (9,732), and 9 combined or other schools.
The largest single district in Lake County is Mentor Exempted Village, which alone enrolls about 6,896 students.
Five-year track record. Combined enrollment now sits at 27,757 students, decreased 11% from the 31,198 reported in SY 2017-18. The school count fell from 57 to 54 across the same 7-year window. Demographically, the White share of enrollment fell from 78% to 71%.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Lake County discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.
Frequently asked questions
Lake County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data