For years, East Cleveland City Schools was counted out. The district consistently sat at the bottom of Ohio’s state report card rankings. But in 2025, East Cleveland achieved a milestone many thought impossible — a three-star rating.
“This is about proving everybody wrong,” said Superintendent and CEO Dr. Henry Pettigrew II. “So many people have written us off, but we hit three stars. That means we did it.”
The transformation is more than just a number. For the second year in a row, East Cleveland recorded the second-highest performance index growth in Ohio, showing that students are not just improving — they’re accelerating past expectations…