Case Study: Hamilton Local School District boosts retention and student success with Energage

Flipping the Script With Attention to Retention and Flexibility with Accountability

Hamilton Local School District, an Ohio district serving 3,300 students, was facing serious academic and staffing challenges a decade ago, with poor state assessment results and even the possibility of a state takeover. The district also struggled with retaining teachers in a low-tax-base, highly transient community, making it difficult to build stability and improve outcomes.

With support from Energage’s Top Workplaces survey and benchmarking, Hamilton Local School District focused on retention, employee empowerment, collaboration, leadership development, and culture protection. The district reinvested funds into salaries, gave teachers more flexibility with accountability, promoted leaders from within, and reinforced a positive workplace culture. As a result, turnover dropped from 40-50 teacher departures a year to just a handful, the district’s Top Workplaces score improved by 5 points and 8% above the benchmark, and student outcomes rose to more than a 96% four-year graduation rate.

Hamilton Local School District

Mark Tyler

Assistant Superintendent