Enrollment
327
High
DISTRICT 414 · STATE 565
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTHWESTERN LOCAL·NCES 391003303993
Northwestern High School
7473 N Elyria Rd, West Salem, OH 44287 · (419) 846-3833 · Wayne County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL327 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 35% of Ohio public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Ohio public high schools
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 17.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
52%
170 students
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 43%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 96 | 29% |
| Grade 10 | 95 | 29% |
| Grade 11 | 64 | 20% |
| Grade 12 | 72 | 22% |
Student demographics
10%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 54% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Northwestern Local. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Ohio's State Tests 2024-25 . % Proficient or AboveEnglish Language Arts
63.6%
OH avg 59.8% . -3.5pp since 2021
Math
33.9%
OH avg 56.1% . -9.3pp since 2021
What this means: On the Ohio's State Tests, Ohio's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Ohio schools, those numbers are about 60 and 56. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2021, while math scores are down about 9 points.
Ohio's State Tests results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.6% | 33.9% |
| 2023-24 | 66.7% | 38.5% |
| 2022-23 | 63.0% | 46.0% |
| 2021-22 | 67.1% | 43.1% |
% Proficient or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Ohio's State Tests. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
62.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.2%
based on OH schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 69% typical for Ohio schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Ohio's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Northwestern High School
Northwestern High School's state test result (62.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern High School this school | 327 | 52.0% | 62.4% |
| Smithville High School Smithville | 295 | 50.5% | 81.5% |
| Lynchburg-Clay High School Lynchburg | 278 | 52.5% | 67.4% |
| Norwayne High School Creston | 415 | 48.9% | 81.3% |
| Ridgedale Jr/Sr High School Morral | 315 | 55.2% | 52.9% |
| Indian Lake High School Lewistown | 441 | 51.9% | 63.8% |
Matched among Ohio high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Northwestern High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Ohio | In Wayne County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 62.4% | #303 of 403 | #8 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.9% | #554 of 776 ▼ 82 | #10 of 10 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.6% | #420 of 774 ▼ 57 | #9 of 10 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -6.4pp | #53 of 742 | #3 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 327 | #573 of 888 | #8 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #152 of 739 | #4 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 10.0% | #641 of 749 | #9 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 52.0% | #151 of 435 | #4 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -21.0% | #90 of 484 | #2 of 7 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
327
-39 (-11%) vs 2020
-22% since 1990-91, when it was 421
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 14.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 327 | 23.8 | 13.8:1 | 52% (170) |
| 2023-24 | 334 | 24.3 | 13.7:1 | 48% (159) |
| 2022-23 | 353 | 24.4 | 14.4:1 | 39% (139) |
| 2020-21 | 366 | 25 | 14.6:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 414 | 29.3 | 14.1:1 | 38% (159) |
| 2015-16 | 425 | 27 | 15.7:1 | 39% (164) |
| 2010-11 | 392 | 24 | 16.3:1 | 49% (193) |
| 2000-01 | 450 | 25 | 18.0:1 | 19% (86) |
| 1990-91 | 421 | 23 | 18.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Northwestern High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 21% (414 to 327); teachers down 19% (29.3 to 23.8).
About Northwestern High School
Northwestern High School is a high school in West Salem, Ohio, according to federal school records. The school enrolls 327 students in grades 9 through 12. That compares with an average of about 565 students for high schools in Ohio.
Northwestern Local is the local district for Northwestern High School. It runs 3 schools with 1,243 students.
Of every 100 students at Northwestern High School, about 95 are White. It is also 3% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. Census estimates put Wayne County at about 93% White, close to the school's figure. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 10, compared with 70 nationally.
On staff are 23.8 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 13.8:1. The average for high schools in Ohio is 17.7:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. About 52% of students at Northwestern High School are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 49% average for public schools in Wayne County.
Among Ohio public high schools, Northwestern High School outscored 35%, which works out to a C+ on the allk12 Grade.
Northwestern High School scores 62.4% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 69.2%.
The county, Wayne County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $73,574, about 25% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. The county has 45 public schools and about 14,479 students.
Of the public schools around it, Northwestern High School is closest to Northwestern Middle School, about 0.1 miles away. There are 2 other public schools within five miles. Northwestern High School's average proficiency of 62.4% compares with 69.7% for its nearest scored neighbors.
The federal government classifies Northwestern High School's location as Rural: Distant.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased 11%.
Northwestern High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as special education services, counseling, and support programs. You can also rate the school on this page.
Wayne County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
116,588
Census ACS
Median income
$73,574
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
45
14,479 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Northwestern Local
- Northwestern Elementary SchoolElementary · 632 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolMiddle · 284 students
Other schools in West Salem
- Northwestern Elementary SchoolElementary · 632 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolMiddle · 284 students
Other Northwestern High schools
7 other US public schools in 8 states are named Northwestern High. Northwestern High School is the 4th largest of the 8.
- Northwestern HighHyattsville, MD · 2,396 students
- Northwestern HighRock Hill, SC · 1,822 students
- Northwestern HighMaple, WI · 372 students
- Northwestern High SchoolDETROIT, MI · 305 students
- Northwestern High SchoolPalmyra, IL · 94 students
Nearby schools
- Northwestern Middle School0.1 mi · 284
- Northwestern Elementary School0.2 mi · 632
- Wooster High School9.1 mi · 1,182
- Kean Elementary School9.2 mi · 313
- Hillsdale 7-129.5 mi · 360
- Hillsdale PK-69.5 mi · 547
Frequently asked questions
About Northwestern High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Northwestern High School?
Northwestern High School enrolls approximately 327 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Northwestern High School serve?
Northwestern High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Northwestern High School is approximately 13.8:1 (24 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Northwestern High School?
Northwestern High School reports a student body of 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 0% Black, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Northwestern High School?
Northwestern High School is overseen by Northwestern Local in Wayne County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.