The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in Math. The lowest is 44% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Benton Elementary School
Benton Elementary School serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade as part of Fairfield Community Schools in Elkhart County. Located on County Road 31 in Goshen, the school sits outside the immediate downtown core in an area that blends residential development with the farmland and industrial activity that define much of this part of Indiana. Goshen itself is a mid-sized city with a downtown historic district centered on the Elkhart County Courthouse, and its economy is dominated by recreational vehicle and automotive component manufacturing. Goshen College, a small Mennonite liberal arts institution, is on the south side of town. The community has invested in trails and greenways, and the Interurban Trolley bus connects Goshen to nearby Elkhart.
The school enrolls a student body that is large for an elementary school serving this grade band. The student composition is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and small numbers of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. More than one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a meaningful but not predominant share. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not available; a parent may want to ask the district directly about those populations and the supports the school provides.
On Indiana’s ILEARN assessments, Benton Elementary posts results that place its overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades in the top quartile relative to districts in Elkhart County. Mathematics proficiency is notably strong, with a large majority of students meeting or exceeding the state standard. English language arts proficiency, while above the county median, is lower than math, with roughly half of students reaching the proficient level. Science results, which draw from a smaller tested population, are also solidly above the midpoint for the county. Social studies is assessed only at fifth grade, and the share of students reaching proficiency there is lower; a parent may want to look into that subject area further with the school.
The school serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and discipline were not available through the sources used here. The district brief turned up little by way of recent strategic changes or initiatives; publicly reported information on the district’s current priorities was sparse.
For a family considering the area, the local housing market is a factor. Homes in the ZIP code covering this school have appreciated in recent years, with values that sit close to the state benchmark and below the national median. Rents are modest relative to income, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home is higher than the average rent, which may shape a family’s decision about whether to rent or buy. The broader economic context includes a low unemployment rate and a median household income around the national figure, consistent with a region where manufacturing and public-sector employment anchor the local economy.
Benton Elementary presents a picture of a school where the majority of students are meeting state standards in math and science, with room for growth in English language arts and social studies. Its academic standing is competitive within Elkhart County, and the school’s size allows for grade-level cohorts that are neither tiny nor overwhelming. Families who value a strong mathematics performance profile and a school that draws from a community with a distinct industrial and agricultural character will find a clear fit here. Those concerned about ELA or social studies outcomes, or who want specific information about special education or English learner services, should seek those details directly from the school.
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