Original Research by School Decision on Cloverdale High School
Cloverdale High School serves grades nine through twelve in the small town of Cloverdale, Indiana, located in Putnam County roughly midway between Indianapolis and Terre Haute just off Interstate 70. The high school is part of the Cloverdale Community Schools district, which operates three buildings on a single campus: the high school, a middle school, and an elementary school, all situated on East Logan Street, separate from the Main Street commercial corridor downtown. The town itself is rural and low-density, with a linear downtown along Main Street and a growing arts and culture scene organized by the Cloverdale Main Street Initiative. The nearby Lieber State Recreation Area is a major civic anchor, offering an aquatic center, lake, and hiking trails. Employment in the area centers on the school corporation, the local hospital, and a telecommunications cooperative. No major private-sector employers or large new housing developments were identified in available sources, though the town’s position along I-70 positions it for continued modest growth tied to commuter and tourism traffic.
The high school’s enrollment is small for a four-year public high school, and the student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students identifying as two or more races and a very small number identifying as Asian, Black, or Hispanic. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students receiving special education services under an IEP or English learner support was not available in the source materials, so a parent may want to ask the school directly what specialized support is in place. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet. Its Title I status was not listed, so it is unclear whether the school receives federal funding to support students from low-income households.
State assessment data for Cloverdale High School was not available in the records provided. This gap often reflects the nature of state testing policies, which may not cover all grade levels or all subjects in a given year, or it may simply be that the data was not reported. Without test results, it is not possible to characterize academic proficiency in math, English language arts, or science relative to state averages or to other schools in Putnam County. The comparison framework that examined Cloverdale relative to the seven districts in Putnam County could not calculate a proficiency index for this school because the school’s own data was missing. Similarly, no four-year graduation rate was reported, nor was a chronic absenteeism rate. For a high school that serves a traditional grade span, both a graduation rate and attendance metrics are typically available, so their absence is notable. A parent investigating this school should ask directly for the most recent graduation rate and for any trend data on how students perform on state assessments before drawing conclusions about academic outcomes.
The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes, such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or leadership turnover, that have been publicly documented in the last several years. The district operates two virtual public schools in addition to its three brick-and-mortar campuses, which suggests some investment in alternative delivery models, though the details of those programs were not available in the source materials.
What can be said is that Cloverdale High School is a small, rural public high school serving a predominantly white and economically diverse student body in a town that markets itself as a quiet, welcoming community with outdoor recreation nearby. The absence of core academic outcome metrics makes it impossible to assess the school’s instructional effectiveness from the data on hand. Families considering this school should request current testing data, graduation rates, and information about course offerings, including Advanced Placement, dual credit, and career and technical education pathways, to get a full picture of what the school offers academically. The shared campus with the middle and elementary school may appeal to families who want a contained, cohesive school environment for children across grade levels. The town’s small scale and distance from larger job and cultural centers will suit families who prefer a slower pace and who value proximity to state park amenities over urban conveniences.
See more original research from School Decision →