The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Math. The lowest is 53% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on North Decatur Elementary School
North Decatur Elementary School, a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade, sits within the Decatur County Community Schools district on the northern edge of Greensburg, Indiana. The school enrolls a student body that is mostly white, with a small share of students who are Hispanic or identify with two or more races. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that gives some indication of the economic context many families in this area navigate. The school is large enough to fill a typical kindergarten-through-sixth-grade building but not so large as to feel like a small town’s only elementary option, and the grade-level sections appear fairly balanced across the seven years. Data on students who receive special education services or are learning English was not available, so a parent may want to check directly with the school about the availability and depth of those supports.
On state assessments administered through Indiana’s ILEARN, North Decatur Elementary posted results that place it above other elementary schools in its county. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s proficiency index lands in the top quartile relative to other districts in Decatur County, a county that has two school districts. In mathematics, a clear majority of students met or exceeded the state standard. In English language arts, roughly half of students did the same. Science scores, which come from a subset of tested grades, follow a similar pattern, and in social studies, a subject tested only at fifth grade, a solid majority of students reached proficiency. These are solid, not extraordinary, results—they indicate that the school is generally performing at a level that families can feel comfortable with, especially in a county where the other district’s overall proficiency is lower. Because North Decatur Elementary serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer courses like AP or dual-credit that matter at the high school level.
The school’s location shapes much of its character. Greensburg is the county seat of Decatur County, a rural community set among cornfields roughly halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati along an interstate corridor. The local economy is anchored by manufacturing, most notably the Honda assembly plant and a Delta Faucet facility, both major employers. The town retains a historic downtown centered on the courthouse square, and housing values in the area sit near the state average, though below the national benchmark, making it a relatively affordable place for families who work in the region. The school itself is housed in a building that a parent would reach by driving into the northern part of town, and the district’s elementary configuration means that after sixth grade students move on to a middle school and then the district’s high school, both of which affect the overall pathway but are not part of this school’s story.
There are several gaps in the publicly available data that a discerning family might want to fill. No information is reported on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, or staffing ratios. The school’s Title I status is not stated. A parent looking for a fuller picture of daily operations, class sizes, or the school’s approach to student behavior would need to ask the school directly or check the district’s own communications. The district brief turned up no major recent changes—no redrawing of attendance boundaries, no leadership turnover, no new program launches—so the school appears to have been operating on a steady footing. For a family considering whether this elementary fits their child, the central takeaway is that it offers a conventional, reasonably performing academic program in a small-city setting with strong manufacturing employment and affordable housing. The peer environment is one in which the student population is largely white and economically mixed, and the school’s results put it in a strong position relative to the only other district in the county. The missing pieces, particularly around special education and English learner services, are worth investigating, but the foundation is a capable school in a stable community.
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