Garrettsville – Numbers released recently from the State of Ohio on school spending continue to reinforce the tremendous educational value at the James A. Garfield Schools. With a total expenditure of only $8,685 per student, Garfield is the second lowest in the area (Portage, Summit, Geauga, and Cuyahoga Counties). Only Field ($8,514) and Wadsworth ($8,613) have lower expenditures than Garfield. These numbers demonstrate how Garfield is able to stretch every dollar in order to operate within its means.
Some may assume that a lower expenditure means fewer programs for kids, but that is simply not the case. Last year, Garfield’s class of 2016 graduated with over 235 college credits due to the expansive number of dual-credit and Advanced Placement offerings students have access to on our campus. Our students are prepared for college when they graduate. Over the past two years, our seniors have garnered over $1 Million in scholarships.
Garfield students also have access to a 21st century learning environment. All students are issued their own laptop in grades 7-12 and every teacher in grades K-12 is issued a laptop as well. Over 90% of our classrooms have interactive whiteboards, and the elementary students have access to laptop carts and access to a cutting-edge technology curriculum that will be rolled out for the first time this fall.
Beyond all of these accomplishments and resources, there are the things our community sees on a daily basis. Our students are successful competitors in athletics. They excel in our art program and bring home awards in marching and concert band. They have their choice of two foreign languages and have access to numerous clubs. Finally, each year they travel the country with trips to Camp Fitch, Washington D.C. and Niagara Falls.
As you can see, the Garfield Schools remain a tremendous value for our kids and community. The district stretches every dollar to create the best learning opportunities for kids. These efforts have built a great deal of trust between the schools and community, which has resulted in an unwavering support of the school district, its teachers, administrators, staff and board of education. For all of these reasons, Garfield remains the very best place to live, work and learn!
