The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Social studies. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lydia Middleton Elementary School
Lydia Middleton Elementary School, a regular public school in Madison, Indiana, serves students from prekindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the Madison Consolidated Schools district, the county school system rooted in this historic Ohio River community.
The school’s student body is demographically reflective of the city itself. The overwhelming majority of students are white, with small shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races, and a negligible presence of Black students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, signaling that the school serves a mix of family economic backgrounds. Data on the share of students receiving special education services or learning English as a new language was not available from the source used here, which may be a point a parent would want to follow up on directly with the school.
On the 2024-25 Indiana ILEARN assessments, the school’s results present a mixed picture. In mathematics, more than half of tested students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standard, a figure that places the school above the midpoint among elementary schools in its county. In English language arts, the share of students reaching proficiency was lower, just above two-fifths. Science results for fourth graders, the only grade tested in that subject at this level, also fell below half proficient. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades ranked in the top quartile relative to other elementary schools in Jefferson County, a notable position. Still, the fact that nearly three out of five students did not reach the state standard in reading and nearly the same share fell short in math is a soft spot a family evaluating the school’s academic environment would want to weigh. Because only a single year of recent data was available, there is no trend line to show whether performance is improving or declining.
Lydia Middleton does not serve grades tested at the high school level, so there is no graduation rate to report. The school is not a charter, and its Title I status was not listed in the available data.
The city of Madison provides the context for this school. Madison is the Jefferson County seat, a city with a preserved historic downtown designated as a National Historic Landmark district, with a walkable Main Street that also carries State Road 56 and the Ohio River Scenic Byway. The riverfront is the centerpiece of community life, particularly during the annual Madison Regatta. Major local employers include manufacturing operations producing motor vehicle parts, plastics, hydraulic equipment, filters, and chemicals, along with agricultural trading and tobacco markets. The city’s population has seen a slight decline or stagnation in recent years, though annexation has expanded its footprint. Housing values in the area sit modestly below the national median, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home is roughly in line with what a two-earner household earning the national median income could afford.
Madison Consolidated Schools did not show any publicly reported recent district-level changes or initiatives in the web research conducted for this profile. The absence of information on board decisions, facility plans, or program shifts means there is no current signal of district-wide disruption or transformation to report.
For a parent considering Lydia Middleton, the takeaway is a school with a solid proficiency profile in math relative to its county peers, a more modest showing in reading and science, and a student body that is economically diverse but not racially diverse. The school is in a stable community with a strong historic identity, a working river town with a mix of manufacturing and tourism, and housing prices that are not out of line with national averages. The missing pieces—special education and English learner data, any recent district changes—are gaps worth filling with a call to the school office.
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