The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in Science. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Anderson Intermediate School
Anderson Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth graders in the Anderson Community School Corp, a district that covers the city itself. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits in a residential area of Anderson, a mid-sized city with a manufacturing heritage that has diversified its economic base into health care and retail. The city shows signs of modest recent population growth and ongoing downtown redevelopment efforts. Housing in the area is notably affordable, with home values and rents below state and national benchmarks, and the community’s median household income reflects a working-class character.
The student body at Anderson Intermediate is diverse. The largest group is white students, followed by substantial shares of Black and Hispanic students, and a noticeable number of students who identify as two or more races. A large majority of students come from households with economic need, as measured by the share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This level of economic disadvantage is high and is an important context for understanding the school’s academic results.
State testing data from the ILEARN assessments shows that overall proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are low. The school’s performance across these tested subjects placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other school districts in Madison County. A small share of students met the state’s proficiency standard in math and in ELA, and a similarly small share did so in science. The social studies test results for fifth graders were suppressed due to a very small number of test-takers, so they cannot be reported. Given that this is an intermediate school serving only two grade levels, there is no graduation rate to consider, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available in the source materials.
The school’s academic profile is the central fact for a parent or resident evaluating it. The proficiency numbers are well below the county median, and the share of students reaching the state standard is in the single digits to low teens across subjects. This is a school where the vast majority of students are not meeting grade-level benchmarks, and a family considering this school would want to understand what academic supports, interventions, and instructional strategies are in place. The data does not include information on course offerings, staffing levels, discipline rates, or special education and English learner populations, so those are gaps any parent would need to explore directly with the school or district.
The school is not a feeder to a high school within the building, but within the same district. Anderson Community School Corp does not appear to have undergone major recent changes based on what was publicly available. The district brief turned up little of lasting impact in the last few years, so a parent may want to ask the district directly about any current initiatives, program changes, or strategic priorities.
In short, Anderson Intermediate is an economically disadvantaged school in an affordable, slowly growing mid-sized city, serving a diverse student population in fifth and sixth grades. The core takeaway from the available evidence is consistently low state test performance across subjects, placing it among the lower-performing schools in its county. A parent considering this school would be wise to investigate what specific academic supports and enrichment opportunities exist beyond the testing data, and to speak with the school about how it addresses the needs of a student body with high economic need.
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