NW Ohio Times

There were 442 eighth grade students enrolled in Defiance County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 5.8% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Defiance Middle School welcomed most of the eighth grade students in the county, registering 176 students.

Within Defiance County schools, the highest student count was found in kindergarten, with the smallest class sizes seen in pre-kindergarten.

Statewide, Defiance County ranked 58th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 5,675 students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year. It was also ranked 58th the year before.

In 2022, Ohio saw an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 1:15, which is an improvement for the state and is lower than the national average of 1:16.

Despite the apparent improvement, this positive trend is overshadowed by a general decline in public school enrollments, which was accelerated by the pandemic. This decline, aligned with the steady number of teachers in the state over the last 10 years, has led to low student-to-teacher ratios.

School name	# of 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Defiance Middle School	176	31.5	558
Tinora Middle School	70	22.2	315
Fairview Middle School	69	31.8	217
Ayersville High School	64	20.8	308
Hicksville Middle School	63	22	287
Ayersville Elementary School	0	0	338
Defiance Elementary School	0	0	1,061
Fairview Elementary School	0	0	415
Tinora Elementary School	0	0	346
Hicksville Elementary School	0	0	370
Defiance High School	0	0	710
Hicksville High School	0	0	206
Fairview High School	0	0	262
Tinora High School	0	0	273