The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is investigating testing irregularities at 52 schools statewide, including several in Franklin County. No Hilliard schools are on the list.

ODEW Director Stephen Dackin sent letters Sept. 4 to the 52 flagged schools after the department's testing vendor identified what the agency called "significant testing anomalies" in spring 2026 state test results, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The probe began July 2 after Columbus City Schools self-reported problems at Independence High School and Walnut Ridge High School, according to cleveland.com. Spring test scores at both buildings were invalidated. At Independence, staff confirmed that cellphones and other smart technology were used during testing. At Walnut Ridge, the district said smart technology may also have been used, according to 10TV/WBNS.

ODEW then directed its vendor to review testing data statewide. That review turned up the 52 additional schools.

Schools were flagged if their score patterns fell "above or below 99% of all other tests," Dackin wrote in the letters, cleveland.com reported. The red flags included students changing a series of wrong answers to correct ones in the final 15 minutes of a computerized test. Other flags: low-performing students answering many difficult questions correctly, and scores jumping dramatically year over year.

In central Ohio, the flagged schools include Hillview Elementary School in the Newark City School District and eight charter schools in Franklin County. Six of those eight charters operate under the Performance Academies corporate umbrella, The Dispatch reported.

The investigation spans 15 counties, including Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton and Summit, according to WOSU.

Dan Tierney, spokesperson for Gov. Mike DeWine, told The Dispatch that the governor's office takes testing integrity seriously. "That shows by DEW taking this proactive step after learning about issues in Columbus the oversight is working well," Tierney said.

ODEW said it is first seeking more information from the flagged schools before deciding whether to launch formal investigations. The agency has not announced a timeline for completing its review or said whether additional schools could be added.

Hilliard City Schools has not released a public statement on the investigation. The district's spring 2026 test results have not yet been released.