LeBron James-backed Ohio school still rock bottom in achievement — despite ‘progress,’ new data reveals

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Report cards are in and LeBron James' I Promise School is still failing, but there's "progress" being made, according to newly released data from the Ohio Department of Education.

The achievement scores for I Promise, the school LeBron started in 2018 in collaboration with the city of Akron to serve at-risk kids, are still bad. Real bad. 

No, not as bad as in 2023 when it was revealed that not a single eighth grader had passed the Ohio math proficiency test, but there are still major issues, based on the new data that OutKick analyzed.

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LeBron James addresses the crowd during the opening ceremonies of the I Promise School on July 30, 2018 in Akron, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Just two out of 75 (2.7%) I Promise seventh graders passed the state math test in 2024-25. The state average is 50%.

How bad are the test scores? Most grades at the school have proficiency rates in single digits to teens. Those percentages are routinely 40-50 points below the Ohio state averages. 

It's not just math that LeBron's school kids are struggling with. Five out of 76 sixth graders passed the English language arts test. That's 6.6%.

The state average is 54.5%.

Not a single grade is close to statewide proficiency levels. 

The school, as a whole, is firmly ranked as a one-star school in achievement. That's as low as the state ranks schools.

But, despite these continued problems for LeBron's school, the Ohio DOE awarded LeBron's team four stars for "Progress." 

The state says there is, "Significant evidence that the school exceeded student growth expectations. Based on the "statistical evidence"