Last week, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released its annual school awards. A closer look at the results reveals something important about Ohio’s community-school sector: while statewide recognition remains relatively rare for community schools, ACCEL-managed schools earned an outsized share of this year’s honors.
These results point to more than a strong showing in a single awards cycle. They reflect excellence at the top, momentum across multiple regions, and meaningful gains in schools where improvement matters most.
A Small Category, A Strong Showing
Of the 283 schools statewide to receive the Overall 5-Star Building Award, only seven were community schools. Three of those seven are managed by ACCEL Schools:
- STEAM Academy of Warren
- Strongsville Academy
- Franklin Learning Academy
Ohio’s Overall 5-Star Building Award recognizes schools that exceeded state standards across six measures, including achievement, progress, early literacy, and college and career readiness. In a category with limited representation at the highest level, that concentration stands out.
Improvement at Scale
The state also recognized 239 schools with Momentum Awards, honoring schools that improved achievement while continuing to demonstrate strong growth.
Of those recipients:
- 43 were community schools
- 16 are managed by ACCEL Schools
These schools span Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Lorain, Mansfield, and other communities across Ohio. Together, they reflect broad-based academic progress across a diverse portfolio of partner schools and student populations.
Performance Above Footprint
In total, 50 community schools across Ohio received one of these state recognitions this year. Nineteen are managed by ACCEL Schools.
That means ACCEL schools earned 38% of this year’s community-school award recognitions while representing roughly 25% of Ohio’s community-school sector.
ACCEL Schools earned 38% of Ohio’s community-school award recognitions this year while representing roughly one quarter of the sector.
Why Context Matters
Many of the recognized ACCEL-managed schools are turnaround environments — schools serving communities where the work is not simply to sustain strong outcomes, but to build them.
That context matters. It is one thing to maintain high performance. It is another to produce measurable progress in schools where improvement is both urgent and hard-won.
More than half of the recognized ACCEL-managed schools are schools who have achieved or are achieving academic turnaround including:
- STEAM Academy of Warren (Warren)
- Northwest School of the Arts (Cleveland)
- Cleveland Arts and Social Sciences Academy (Cleveland)
- Columbus Bilingual Academy North (Columbus)
- Broadway Academy (Cleveland)
- Lake Erie College Preparatory School (Cleveland)
- Lincoln Park Academy (Cleveland)
- NorthStar School of Innovation and Leadership (Cleveland)
- University of Cleveland Preparatory School (Cleveland)
Starting point matters. So does progress.
What These Awards Show
Community school performance in Ohio is often discussed as if it were static. These awards suggest otherwise.
They recognize two things at once: schools operating at the highest levels and schools making substantial academic gains while continuing to grow. This year’s results show both are happening across ACCEL Schools.
Recognition is not the goal. Student outcomes are. But awards like these provide an important signal. They show where strong performance is being sustained, where momentum is building, and where school improvement is producing real results for students and families. For more information on Ohio’s awards and methodology, visit the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce website.