Of the 1,461,608 students enrolled in Ohio schools during the 2024-25 school year, only 0.1% identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.
This represents 877 students that year, a decrease of 4.7% from the year before.
In Ohio, white students made up the largest ethnic group in schools, accounting for 66.6% of the student body.
Public school enrollment in Ohio fell to 1.47 million students in fiscal year 2025, down 1%, marking the largest drop since fiscal year 2022.
According to a report from the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, enrollment fell most sharply in rural and small-town districts. In contrast, joint vocational districts recorded growth, with chartered nonpublic schools recording the largest enrollment increases.
According to an analysis by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Ohio students have not fully recovered from pandemic-related learning losses. In the 2024-25 school year, about 55.3% of students were proficient in math and 60% in reading, both several points below 2018-19 levels.
Ohio ranks 23rd nationally in K-12 school expenditures, with public schools spending $16,687 per pupil for a total of $28.05 billion annually. Overall, costs exceed available funding by nearly $460 million.
| Ethnic Group | % of Total Student Body | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| White | 66.6% | 973,569 |
| Black | 15.1% | 220,259 |
| Hispanic | 8.3% | 121,416 |
| Multiracial | 6.6% | 96,452 |
| Asian | 3.4% | 49,035 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.1% | 877 |
