Below is a brief summary of the initial November 2025 school levy results. Levy results are those compiled by OSBA.
Total School Levies
There were 113 school levies on the ballot on Nov. 4, 2025.
This total does not include the Carlisle Local (Warren County) school district income tax (SDIT) repeal which the initial vote tally shows failed by a mere 9 votes – meaning that the SDIT remains in place.
74 of the 113 school levies on the ballot in November passed, a rate of 65.5%.
All Capital Levies (Bonds, Combos & PIs)
There were 34 school capital levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot.
9 Bond levies
3 Bond combination levies
6 New permanent improvement (PI) levies
16 Renewal permanent improvement levies
20 of 34 (58.8%) capital levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
In November 2024 only 43% of capital levies passed.
From 1994-2023 the capital levy passage rate was 57.5%.
Thus, the capital levy passage rate in Nov. 2025 is almost exactly the same as the 20-year average passage rate from 1994 through 2023.
New vs Renewal Capital Levies
4 of 18 (22.2%) of new capital levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
3/9 bonds passed.
0/3 combos passed.
1/6 new PI levies passed.
In Nov. 2024 32.5% of new capital levies passed.
16 of 16 (100%) of PI renewals on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
In November 2024 56.3% of PI renewals and replacements passed.
All Operating Levies
There were 79 school operating levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot.
There were 27 new operating levies on the ballot in Nov. 2025.
There were 52 renewal operating levies on the ballot in Nov. 2025.
54 of 79 (68.4%) of all school operating levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
New Operating Levies
10 of 27 (37.0%) of new operating levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
In November 2024 28.6% of new operating levies passed.
From 1994-2023 36.7% of new operating levies passed.
1 of 4 New Emergency Levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
3 of 7 New Current Expense Property Tax levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
6 of 16 New School District Income Tax (SDIT) levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
In total, 4 of 11 (36.4%) new property tax levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed and 6 of 16 (37.5%) of new SDIT levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
Thus, the passage rate for both new property tax levies and new SDIT levies in Nov. 2025 is almost exactly the same as the 20-year average passage rate of new levies from 1994 through 2023.
Renewal Operating Levies
44 of 52 (84.6%) of renewal operating levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
In November 2024 71.9% of renewal operating levies passed.
From 1994-2023 86.4% of renewal operating levies passed.
18 of 20 emergency renewal levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
4 of 7 substitute levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed (Note: substitutes count as renewals because they are already in place as emergency levies).
13 of 15 current expense renewal levies passed.
In total, 35 of 42 (83.3%) of property tax renewals levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed which is roughly 3 percentage points below the historical average for renewal levies over the past 20 years.
9 of 10 (90%) of SDIT renewal levies on the Nov. 2025 ballot passed.
Overall Conclusions
In general, school capital levies are more likely to pass in Ohio than are school operating levies, however the passage rate of school levies in Ohio is highly dependent on whether the issue on the ballot is a new levy or a renewal of an existing levy.
- From 1994 through 2023, school capital levies passed 57.5% of the time.
- From 1994 through 2023, new school operating levies passed 36.7% of the time.
- From 1994 through 2023, school operating renewal levies passed 86.4% of the time.
In 2024 Ohio school levy passage rates were lower than historical rates for all types of levies.
However, the November 2025 school levy results for capital levies, new operating levies and renewal operating levies are not only improved from last November but are generally consistent with recent historical trends.