Dublin Schools Get 4.5 Stars Again

Local News

Dublin’s teachers are getting a raise next year.

The School Board approved a 2.25% pay increase for teachers beginning with the 2027–28 school year. Bus drivers, mechanics, cooks and a number of other district employees are getting the same percentage increase.

I sometimes hear people say our teachers are underpaid. Other times, I hear exactly the opposite. So this seemed like a good excuse to actually look at what teachers in Dublin make.

And there are a couple of different answers.

Dublin City Schools currently lists its average teacher salary at $97,049. The district says the average teacher has about 15 years of experience, and nearly 80% of its certified employees have a master’s degree or higher.

Niche puts the number considerably higher. Niche, which analyzes federal education data and ranks schools across the country, lists Dublin’s average teacher salary at $115,533. And that gives us an interesting way to compare Dublin with some of the other highly rated school districts around Columbus.

Among Niche’s five highest-rated districts in the Columbus area, Upper Arlington averages $118,435, Dublin $115,533, Bexley $109,204, Olentangy $103,719 and New Albany $93,856.

So whether you think our teachers are paid too much, too little or about right, I’ll leave that part to you. But at least now we have some numbers to work with.

Local News

Japan FestOH! took over Riverside Crossing Park this weekend, and it seems like a good time to talk about just how significant Dublin’s Japanese community actually is.

More Japanese nationals live in Dublin than in any other city in Ohio.

And it isn’t just a small distinction. Dublin is also home to more than 20 Japanese companies, along with the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio, which is headquartered right here in our city.

Those numbers help put something like Japan FestOH! into a little more perspective. This isn’t simply an annual celebration of Japanese culture. For a pretty significant number of our neighbors, it’s their culture.

And that’s probably the part worth remembering. Dublin’s Japanese community isn’t some distant international connection we’re trying to build.

It’s already part of Dublin.

Local News

Ohio released its annual school report cards yesterday, and Dublin City Schools once again received 4.5 stars out of 5.

The overall rating takes into account several different measures, including student achievement, academic progress, graduation rates, early literacy, closing achievement gaps and how well students are prepared for college, careers or the military.

Under Ohio’s system, three stars means a district meets state standards, four means it exceeds them and five means it significantly exceeds them. Dublin’s 4.5-star rating is the same one we received last year.

So how did we compare with everyone around us?

Olentangy and Upper Arlington both received 5 stars, while Dublin, Hilliard, Delaware and Pickerington received 4.5. Gahanna-Jefferson and Worthington received 4 stars.

There was some movement this year, too. Hilliard, Delaware and Pickerington all improved from 4 stars to 4.5, while Dublin remained at 4.5.

You can search the state’s new report cards and see results for individual Dublin schools here.