The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 32% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Csa Fodrea Campus
CSA Fodrea Campus is a regular public school in Columbus, Indiana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is part of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, the district that covers the city and surrounding county. The school sits within Columbus, a mid-sized city with a distinctive industrial and architectural identity. The city is the headquarters of Cummins, the diesel engine manufacturer, and just south of town lies the North American headquarters of Toyota Material Handling. These employers anchor a local economy where manufacturing and related research jobs are prominent. Columbus is known for its modern architecture, with over sixty notable buildings designed by figures including Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and Richard Meier, a legacy that earned it the nickname “Athens on the Prairie.” The downtown core is walkable, housing civic and cultural institutions, while residential areas and the broader city are more auto-oriented. The area has seen modest population growth in recent years.
CSA Fodrea itself serves a student body that is diverse. White students make up just over half of the enrollment, while Asian students represent about a quarter of the school. Hispanic students account for roughly one in eight students, and students who identify as two or more races make up close to one in ten. Black and American Indian or Alaska Native students each represent a very small share. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a standard measure of economic need in public schools. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the current reporting.
The school’s academic performance on Indiana’s ILEARN state assessments shows a mixed picture across subjects. In math, for grades three through eight, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark was below the midpoint among districts in Bartholomew County, though the school’s overall proficiency index across all subjects tested placed it above that midpoint. That index combines performance in math, English language arts, science, and social studies. In English language arts for those same middle grades, just under a third of students scored at the proficient or above level. In science and social studies, each assessed at specific grade levels, the proficiency rates were similarly below a third. A parent reviewing these results may want to ask the school about support structures in reading and writing, as the English language arts proficiency is a notable soft spot compared to the math result, and because the numbers across several subjects sit below what many families would hope to see in an elementary and middle school setting. The school’s participation rate on the tests was complete, which means the results represent nearly all students.
As a school serving only pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, CSA Fodrea does not have a graduation rate to report. It does not offer high school courses or advanced placement programs, as those are not part of its grade band. The school has no status as a charter or magnet school, and information on whether it receives Title I funding was not provided.
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation has made recent investments that are relevant to families with children at this school or considering it. Voters in 2023 approved a bond referendum that funds construction of a new elementary school, renovation and expansion of Columbus East High School, and security upgrades at all district schools. That means facility improvements across the district are underway, and the bond will affect property taxes. In 2024, the district also expanded full-day preschool to four of its elementary schools, an initiative that broadens early education options within the public system. These changes point to an active district that is adding capacity and updating its facilities.
Housing costs in the immediate area are roughly in line with statewide medians, with home values and rents having risen in the past year. The national unemployment rate has been steady at a moderate level, and median household income nationally has edged upward. These broader economic indicators provide context but do not directly reflect the Columbus market’s specifics, which are shaped by the local employers and growth patterns already described.
For a parent trying to understand what this school offers, the main takeaway is that CSA Fodrea is a neighborhood elementary and middle school in a community with a strong industrial base, an active district making facility and program investments, and a student body that reflects a mix of backgrounds. The academic results, especially in English language arts and science, are areas where the school is below typical proficiency levels in the county, and a family would want to learn what interventions or curricula are in place to support those subjects. The absence of certain data points, such as chronic absenteeism and discipline statistics, means a parent cannot evaluate those dimensions from this report and would need to ask the school directly. This is a school where the community context is distinctive, the district is in a period of construction and expansion, and the academic performance on state tests suggests a need for additional inquiry into how the school supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.
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