The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Math. The lowest is 41% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on New Middletown Elementary School
New Middletown Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the tiny, rural town of New Middletown in southern Harrison County. The school is a regular public school within the South Harrison Com Schools district. Enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly white, with a small number of students who identify as two or more races and a very small share of Hispanic students. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic circumstances of the community.
On state assessments administered through Indiana’s ILEARN program, roughly half of the tested students met the proficiency standard in mathematics, which is the school’s strongest subject. In English language arts and in science, about two in five students scored proficient. For social studies, the only tested grade is fifth, and proficiency there reached about half of the small group tested. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint relative to districts in Harrison County. The math result is a relative strength compared to the other subjects, but a parent may want to discuss with the school what supports are available for reading and writing, given that the literacy rate is lower.
Because New Middletown Elementary serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not have data on chronic absenteeism or discipline in these records. The school employs a full teaching staff, but staffing and class-size details were not available. No information about special education or English learner enrollment was reported in the data provided, so a family with specific needs in those areas should contact the school directly.
The town of New Middletown itself is an extremely small residential community of roughly a hundred residents, sitting on about thirty acres of land. It is described as a close-knit place where people look out for one another, with an aging, quiet residential character. The town has struggled to attract and retain businesses, and there are no major local employers; most residents commute to nearby Corydon or Lanesville for work. Housing stock is older, and a notable share of homes sit vacant. There is no centralized sewer system, which blocks new construction and has contributed to population decline. Broadband access is limited, and the town’s comprehensive plan notes that children have been seen sitting outside the elementary school to use its internet for e-learning days. The elementary school itself is a key civic anchor, and the community has expressed worry about the possibility of it closing. The town is renovating a Main Street building to serve as a new town hall, but walkability and pedestrian amenities remain limited and are described as an aspirational goal.
The South Harrison district did not have any recent parent-relevant changes reported in available sources, so no major shifts in programming, boundaries, or policies are documented here.
For a family, New Middletown Elementary offers a very small, rural school setting in a community that is tightly knit but facing infrastructure and population challenges. Academically, math stands out as the stronger subject, while reading and science are areas where proficiency is less common. The school’s overall performance places it slightly behind the midpoint among the three districts in Harrison County. Parents who value a small-town environment where the school is central to the community may find this a close and familiar option, but those concerned about academic outcomes, particularly in literacy, will likely want to visit and talk with teachers about how the school supports growing readers. The town’s limited broadband and lack of new housing development are practical considerations for any resident.
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