Butler Elementary School, Butler IN

Original Research by School Decision on Butler Elementary School

Butler Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small city of Butler, in northeastern DeKalb County. It is a regular public school within the DeKalb County Eastern Community School District. Butler itself is a rural manufacturing town with a declining population and a compact downtown that has seen fires and demolitions reshape its commercial core. The school sits outside the downtown center, part of a district that also includes Eastside Junior-Senior High School and Riverdale Elementary. Steel Dynamics operates a large steel mini-mill southwest of town, anchoring the area’s industrial base, and the Norfolk Southern rail lines that still run through Butler are a reminder of its origins as a railroad town.

The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and very few Black, Asian, or multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls children from kindergarten through sixth grade, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across those grades. Because it does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the data do not include figures on students with disabilities or English learners.

On state assessments, the school’s results fell well below the midpoint among districts in DeKalb County. In math, about one in five students scored proficient. In English language arts, the figure was similar. In science, the proficiency rate was again around one in five. In social studies, which is tested only in fifth grade, roughly one in four students scored proficient. The school’s overall performance across tested subjects and grades was in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in the county. The participation rate on the math and English assessments was very high, which means the results reflect nearly the entire tested population, not a subset. A parent exploring this school may want to ask about the specific supports the school provides in core academic areas, and about what steps the district is taking to raise achievement.

No information was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access. The district brief found no major recent changes to report, such as large budget shifts, bond measures, or curriculum overhauls. The school does not operate as a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not provided in the data.

Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks. The median home value in the zip code is below the national figure, and home values have risen at a pace that outpaces the national average in recent years, though still below the statewide rate of increase. The local economy, anchored by manufacturing and logistics, has kept unemployment near the national average. A family moving to Butler would find a small-town setting with a library that recently expanded, an annual harvest festival, and a short drive to Fort Wayne for more services and employment. The school is the elementary option within its district for Butler residents, and there is no indication of school choice or open enrollment options from the available data.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-820%

School 20% · District 35% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-819%

School 19% · District 31% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-819%

School 19% · District 39% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 37% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median

This schoolDeKalb Co Eastern Com Sch Dist, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income37%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income6%Higher-income20%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income44%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income18%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income22%Higher-income58%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income25%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income4%Higher-income31%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income6%Higher-income24%18 pp gap