The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Science. The lowest is 27% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Park Elementary School
Park Elementary School serves roughly the middle years of elementary and early middle school, grades three through six, in Fairmount, Indiana, a small town that functions largely as a bedroom community for the larger city of Marion. The school is one of several buildings within the Madison-Grant United School Corporation, a district that has recently expanded its offerings to include virtual academy options, a structural shift a parent may want to understand when considering the full range of choices available. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits in a community that has seen a slow population decline over recent decades, with the town center retaining its historic commercial district and its seasonal James Dean Festival drawing visitors.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with very small numbers of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent seeking information about those support systems would need to inquire directly with the school or district to understand what is available.
On state assessments, Park Elementary’s results place its overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades above the midpoint among all Grant County districts, though the absolute rates themselves tell a more nuanced story. A parent looking at these results will see that while performance is competitive within the county, the share of students meeting state expectations in math and English language arts is below most families’ definition of a strong majority. Science proficiency is reported at a higher rate than math or ELA, but that assessment is taken only by a subset of students in the tested grades. Social studies proficiency is reported as lower still, for a grade level where that test is administered. Across all subjects, the scores do not suggest a school where the typical student is meeting the state’s academic benchmarks, and a family weighing this school would want to consider what academic supports are in place for students who are not yet at that level.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism is not available. The district brief mentions an expansion into virtual schooling, which may reflect the district’s broader approach to offering alternative instructional models, but the brief does not detail how that affects the traditional elementary schools. The locale brief notes that Fairmount’s historic high school building closed years ago and that the district now operates separate campuses away from the town center, meaning the school building itself is not within the downtown walking area, though the town is compact and the separation is not significant in practical terms.
Housing values in the zip code serving the school are below both state and national averages, consistent with a town that has seen limited recent growth. The economic context shows typical mortgage rates and unemployment at a modest level. For a family considering a move to this area, the housing market is relatively affordable compared to much of Indiana, and the school is the most central elementary option for families living in Fairmount proper.
Park Elementary presents as a school that is performing in the middle of the pack when measured against its county neighbors, but where the majority of students are not yet reaching state proficiency standards. A parent evaluating this school should look closely at the specific instructional strategies and interventions the school uses, particularly in literacy and math, and should consider visiting the building to see how the school’s community and culture align with their own priorities. The data alone does not offer a clear picture of special education or English learner supports, and a parent with children in those categories would need to ask the school directly about those programs. The school’s enrollment is steady and its grade band is a contained span, which can offer a predictable transition from the primary grades into the upper elementary and early middle school years before students move on to a different building for junior high and high school.
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