It’s back to school today for students in the Ironton City Schools.

And while students will be greeted by some new teachers and athletic coaches, Superintendent Dean Nance said few physical things were changed over the summer.

What may be changing, though is the number of kids occupying those city classrooms.

“We’re growing and I think we will continue to grow. We’ve grown for the last three years and I think that will continue,” he said.

Nance said he is pleased with the district’s upward movement in academics, too. On the state report card issued by the Ohio Department of Education earlier this week, Ironton had moved from the “continuous improvement” category up a notch to “effective.”

He said over the summer school staff analyzed data from last year’s test scores and determined what changes needed to be made to shore up weak areas in the curriculum.

“I’m happy and proud to be moved out of ‘continuous improvement’ and while we celebrated this victory we’re also moving on and now we’re shooting for the ‘excellent’ category,” he said.

Ironton’s biggest changes are yet to come, as work continues to design new school facilities after voters approved a bond issue and levy in the spring to pay for new schools.