The top reported proficiency rate is 9% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Northeast in Spec Ed Coop
Northeast IN Spec Ed Coop is a special education school that serves students from kindergarten through high school across DeKalb County Eastern Community School District. It is not a neighborhood school in the conventional sense, but a cooperative program designed for students who require specialized academic and behavioral support that a general education setting cannot provide. The school is located in Kendallville, a small city in Noble County with a historic downtown district, a mix of industrial and healthcare employers, and a modest population that has grown slowly in recent years.
The student body is very small, which is consistent with the school’s purpose. Every student enrolled is reported as white. No data was available on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, or on the number of students with individualized education programs, which is notable given the school’s identity as a special education cooperative. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the specific student demographics and what kinds of disabilities or learning needs are served.
State assessment results are available for a very small group of students in math and English language arts. In math, none of the students who took the test met the state’s proficiency standard. In English language arts, a small share of students reached the proficient level. Science results were suppressed, as is common when the testing group is too small to report publicly. These numbers reflect the fact that the students served by this program are likely working with significant learning challenges; the low proficiency rates are not a sign of a typical academic program but rather a reflection of the population the school is designed to support. A parent considering this placement should discuss with district staff how the school measures individual student growth and what alternative assessments or progress benchmarks are used.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through grade twelve, though no kindergarten enrollment was reported, and the grade-level counts are spread thinly across all years. This means a student could potentially remain in this program from early childhood through high school completion, but the data did not include a graduation rate, so it is unclear how many students earn a diploma from this setting. A family would want to understand the transition pathways and what happens at age twenty-two or whenever a student ages out of special education services.
Housing values in the Kendallville area are below the national median but slightly above the state median, and the area has seen moderate home price appreciation. The local economy includes manufacturing and healthcare, and Kendallville has attracted new downtown businesses and tourism in recent years, but the district brief found no major recent changes to report about the school district itself.
This is not a school a family chooses for its test scores or academic programming in the traditional sense. It is a placement that serves a specific purpose for students who need a highly structured, specialized environment. The very small size and the lack of publicly reported data on discipline, staffing, course access, and civil rights outcomes mean that a parent must rely on direct conversation with the district and this cooperative to understand the daily experience, the qualifications of staff, and the range of services provided.
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