The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in Social studies. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mount Vernon Jr High School
Mount Vernon Jr High School serves grades six through eight in the M.S.D. of Mount Vernon, a small public school district in the far southwestern corner of Indiana. The school sits in Mount Vernon, the Posey County seat, an industrial and agricultural city on the Ohio River. The local economy draws on a large river port, an oil refinery, biofuels plants, and heavy manufacturing facilities such as a BWX Technologies pressure-vessel plant and a SABIC facility. Mount Vernon’s population has trended downward in recent years, and the district operates five schools total, with this junior high feeding into the district’s single high school.
The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of students who are Black, Hispanic, multiracial, or American Indian. More than four in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a meaningful marker of economic need. No data was available on the share of students with disabilities or English learners. The school is a regular public school; it is not a charter or magnet.
On the Indiana ILEARN assessments in 2024–25, the school’s proficiency rates for its combined grades sat below the midpoint among the two districts in Posey County. In math, about two students in five scored proficient or above. In English language arts, a slightly smaller share did. In science, the figure was a bit higher, at roughly two in five. A social studies result from a prior assessment using a different test is too old to characterize current performance. The proficiency index across tested subjects places the school in the bottom quartile relative to other Posey County districts, though with only two districts in that set, the comparison is quite narrow. A parent may want to ask the school how it identifies and supports students who are not yet proficient, and what academic interventions are in place.
No chronic absenteeism rate was reported, so it is not possible to speak to how regularly students attend. No graduation rate appears because this is a middle school that does not serve high school grades. The school offers no data on its course access or staffing, leaving questions about the breadth of electives, arts, music, or advanced course opportunities for eighth graders.
The school itself is part of a system that includes three elementary schools and one high school. No recent parent-relevant changes, construction projects, or programming shifts were publicly reported for the district, so it is unclear if any new initiatives are underway.
Housing in Mount Vernon is more affordable than the national average, based on typical home values, and the median household income in the area sits below the national figure. The community’s small downtown includes a historic courthouse square and a riverfront park. The combination of industrial employment, modest housing costs, and a compact town layout means many students walk or have a short ride to school.
For a family considering this school, the picture is straightforward. Mount Vernon Jr High serves a small, stable community with a manufacturing base and a student body that is economically diverse. The academic numbers suggest a school where a solid share of students are meeting state benchmarks, but where a parent should expect a significant portion of the grade is still working toward proficiency, particularly in math and English. Without detail on special education or English learner populations, or on course offerings, a family with a child who needs targeted support or who seeks accelerated coursework may want to contact the school directly and ask what is available for those profiles. The lack of reported discipline data, staffing ratios, and attendance figures also leaves gaps in what a parent can assess about day-to-day conditions.
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