The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on S Ellen Jones Elementary School
S Ellen Jones Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in New Albany, Indiana, as part of the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation. This is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet institution.
The school is located in a mid-sized river city that sits directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, and functions as part of the greater Louisville metropolitan area. New Albany blends historic residential neighborhoods with a downtown core that still shows its 19th century steamboat-era prosperity. The city has a diversified manufacturing base and is home to Indiana University Southeast. Housing values in the area sit below the national median, and rents have risen noticeably in recent periods. A substantial portion of the student body comes from households with economic need, with a significant share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
The student body is racially diverse. A majority of students are white, a substantial share are Black, a meaningful portion identify as two or more races, and a smaller share are Hispanic. The school serves a modest-sized enrollment for its grade band.
State assessment results are available for the school, and they show that overall proficiency across tested subjects falls in the bottom tier when compared to other schools in Floyd County. In both math and English language arts, the share of students scoring at or above the proficient level was below the county midpoint. Science proficiency was similarly low. The school participated fully in the state testing program, with strong participation rates reported. A parent may want to look into these results further with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school is working to raise achievement.
There is no graduation rate to report because the school does not serve high school grades. The school also does not offer the full sweep of high school programs, such as Advanced Placement, career pathways, or dual-credit courses, as those are outside its elementary mission. The district did not appear in the records we reviewed to have recently undergone major publicly reported changes or strategic shifts that would alter a family's sense of its direction.
Given the school's grade configuration, the peer environment is one of young children learning foundational skills. The size of the building is such that families and staff likely know one another, and the early grade span means a child will move on to a different school after fourth grade. The community context of New Albany provides some amenities, including parks, a library, and riverfront greenway improvements in progress. The city's infrastructure is also seeing investment in new public safety facilities and roadway work.
For a family considering this school, the central takeaway is that it serves a diverse population of younger students in a city that is part of the Louisville orbit, but its academic performance on state tests is low relative to other Floyd County schools. That makes it important to ask the school directly about intervention strategies, curriculum, and the trajectory of student progress. The school's setting in a stable, slowly growing river town with below-average housing costs may appeal to families looking for an affordable entry point into the Louisville area, but the academic numbers warrant a closer look.
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