Worthington Schools announces top special-education rating; statewide kindergarten cutoff set to change
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Trent Bowers told the board Worthington received a 2025 special-education rating of 'meets requirements,' the highest rating under state indicators, and warned a new Ohio law standardizing kindergarten admission (students must turn 5 by the first day of school) will affect local registrations.
Worthington Schools Superintendent Dr. Trent Bowers told the Board of Education on Nov. 24 that the district earned a rating of “meets requirements” in the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s 2025 special education annual rating—an outcome he described as the highest rating a district can earn under the state’s indicators tied to IDEA data for the 2023–24 school year.
Bowers thanked the special education department, teachers and staff for their work and described the rating as based on indicators that include compliance, graduation outcomes, evaluation timelines and the provision of services in the least-restrictive environment. He said the district will continue to share details with families and staff.
On facilities, Bowers said students at Thomas Worthington High School are already using the new West entrance, student commons, media center, counselor and administrative offices, and that construction continues on music, auditorium and art spaces with openings planned in spring. He said the renovations will provide more natural light and student collaboration space.
Bowers also briefed the board on a recently passed state bill to standardize kindergarten admission dates statewide. Under the change—pending the governor’s signature—students must turn 5 by the first day of school; for Worthington next year, that date is Aug. 19. He warned that, during the transition, about 10% of families who had been planning to enroll in kindergarten in Worthington might not be eligible under the new cutoff and said the district will notify the welcome center and families who have already completed registration.
Board members asked whether the state change would affect Worthington’s early-admissions process for academically advanced students. Bowers said the district still has an early-admission process that families may pursue and that he did not believe the new statewide cutoff eliminates that pathway.
The superintendent closed his report with reminders about the Thanksgiving break and routine district communications. The board did not take formal action on the reports; items related to policies were flagged for a second reading later in the agenda.