The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Arlington Elementary School
Arlington Elementary School serves the unincorporated rural community of Arlington in Rush County, Indiana, offering kindergarten through sixth grade. The school is part of the Rush County Schools district. Enrollment is small, and the student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of students who are American Indian, Black, or of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a notable portion of families face economic pressure.
Academically, the school’s performance on the state’s ILEARN assessments presents a mixed picture. In math, roughly half of all tested students scored at a proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, the share was similar, with half reaching that bar. In science, about two in five students scored proficient or above. In social studies, a subject tested only in fifth grade, proficiency was just above two in five. These results place Arlington Elementary at the top within Rush County’s small set of districts, a useful signal for families comparing the school to its immediate neighbors but one that carries less weight given the universe is only two districts. The school posted full participation in the math and English language arts assessments, which strengthens the reliability of those results.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and the share of English learners was not available in the records reviewed. A parent may wish to ask the school directly about how it supports students with disabilities and how it handles attendance patterns.
Arlington itself is a very small, unincorporated community situated along a U.S. highway about a short drive west of Rushville, the county seat. It has a post office and an annual Apple Festival, and residents describe it as a quiet, close-knit place. Housing values in the ZIP code area sit below the national benchmark, though they have seen an uptick recently, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home is moderate. The area is rural, car-dependent, and lacks walkable infrastructure. The median household income in the community is below the national figure, which aligns with the share of students receiving meal assistance at the school. No major housing developments or commercial projects were identified in available records.
Rush County Schools, the district that operates Arlington Elementary, was searched for recent changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or facility projects, but no lasting developments cleared the threshold for inclusion in this account. The district does not seem to have been in the midst of a major transition that would shape a family’s decision.
For a family considering this school, what emerges is a small, rural elementary environment where the student body is largely homogeneous and where a significant portion of families are managing economic constraints. Academic proficiency on state tests hovers around the midpoint, with math and English language arts landing at roughly half of students meeting the standard. The school’s standing relative to the other Rush County district is strong, but the comparison pool is very narrow, so that is a narrow signal. The community is quiet and slow-growing, with limited walkability and few civic amenities beyond the annual festival. There is no information on extended learning programs or specialized course access, as that data was not available. A parent looking for a small-town, no-frills elementary school with a steady academic record and a close-knit feel may find this a natural fit, while a family seeking more diversity of program or student background may want to look further into what Rush County Schools offers at the middle and high school levels.
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