Princeton High School earned the highest possible rating on Ohio's annual State Report Card for the first time, the district announced Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The five-star overall rating means PHS "significantly exceeds state standards" under the state's grading scale. The school had received four-and-a-half stars in the 2024-25 cycle.

PHS also earned five stars in two categories. Those were Progress and Graduation Rate.

The milestone caps a turnaround that former Superintendent Elgin Card described to Springdale City Council in October 2024. "Back in 2018, we were a failing district," Card said at the time. "… We're a four star district now, out of five. This is the second year in a row."

Princeton has kept climbing since. The district's overall rating held steady at four stars for 2025-26, but its College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness score jumped from three stars to five. The state replaced its A-F letter grades with the current five-star system in 2021, grading districts on six components including Achievement, Progress, Graduation, Gap Closing, Early Literacy and College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the state anticipated "slight increases in performance" in the graduation and college-readiness components statewide. That is partly because expanded eligibility criteria now let students demonstrate readiness through end-of-course exam scores or AP and IB credits. Whether Princeton's two-star jump in that category reflects the rule change, stronger student outcomes or both is not clear from available data.

Other district highlights included five stars in Progress for the fifth consecutive year and three stars or higher at every elementary school across Evendale, Glendale, Lincoln Heights, Sharonville, Springdale, Woodlawn and other communities the district serves.

The district, now led by Superintendent Mari Phillips, who took the role in August 2026, said the college-readiness results align with its stated mission of preparing every student for life after high school. No statement from Phillips on the report card appeared in the district's announcement.

Eight years ago, Princeton was rated a failing district. On Sept. 15, its high school stood at five stars.