Families in Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township send their children to one of the top-ranked school districts in the country, according to Niche's 2026 Best School Districts rankings.

Sycamore Community Schools earned an A+ overall grade and a spot in the top 2% of more than 11,000 districts evaluated nationwide, the district announced Tuesday, Sept. 8. Sycamore placed No. 5 among Cincinnati-area districts and No. 10 in Ohio out of 606 statewide.

Niche released the 2026 rankings in September 2025. The district highlighted the honor alongside a run of strong results from a separate ranking system, U.S. News & World Report, over the past several weeks.

U.S. News rates individual schools rather than whole districts. Sycamore High School scored 97.12 out of 100 and ranked in the top 3% nationally on Aug. 18. E.H. Greene Intermediate School and Sycamore Junior High School placed in the top 2% of Ohio middle schools on Aug. 28. All four elementary campuses (Blue Ash, Maple Dale, Montgomery and Symmes) landed in the top 4% statewide on Aug. 26.

The Niche methodology weights academics at 50%, teachers at 15%, and culture and diversity at 12.5%. Parent and student surveys account for another 12.5%. Resources, clubs and sports make up the remaining 10%. This year, Niche dropped SAT and ACT scores from its formula, citing a broader shift away from standardized testing in college admissions.

The district, which serves about 6,051 students across seven schools, said the recognition reflects the work of its staff, students and community.

Sycamore voters will decide on a 6.95-mill combination levy for current expenses and permanent improvements on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The school board approved a resolution to proceed with the measure at its June 9 work session.