The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Math. The lowest is 48% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on New Palestine Intermediate School
New Palestine Intermediate School serves fifth and sixth graders in the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County, a single district that covers the town of New Palestine and the surrounding townships. The school sits in a town that is growing quickly. Publicly reported census estimates show the population rising at a steady annual rate, and the district’s own website points to top state test scores as a draw for families. The town’s historic core is small, with a library, a museum on Main Street, a town hall on a US highway, and a police department staffed by a modest number of officers. New Palestine High School functions as a central community gathering space, hosting parades and a fall festival. No major private employers were identified in publicly available sources. The area appears to function largely as a residential commuter community within reach of the Indianapolis metro.
The school itself is a regular public school with no charter or magnet status. Its enrollment is in the mid-hundreds, split fairly evenly between fifth and sixth grade. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with small shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, multiracial, and Native American students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places it in a moderate range for economic diversity. The school does not report counts for students with disabilities or English learners in the available data, so a parent who wants those specifics would need to ask the school directly.
On the most recent state assessments, the ILEARN, the school’s results place it in a strong position relative to other districts in Hancock County. Across tested subjects and grades, the overall proficiency rate sits above the median of the county’s five districts and lands in the top quartile. In math, roughly half of students scored at or above the proficient level. In English language arts, the rate was a little below that, in the upper forty-percent range. Science proficiency came in above half. Social studies, tested only at grade five, was just under half. These are solid numbers for a school serving only two grades, and they align with the district’s publicly stated reputation for high performance. But a parent should note that the school does not yet serve grades that would produce a graduation rate, so that measure simply does not apply here. Participation on the tests was very high, above ninety-nine percent for math and ELA, which strengthens the reliability of the results.
Housing in New Palestine’s zip code is notably expensive compared to the state average. The typical home value is well above Indiana’s benchmark and sits slightly above the national figure. Rent is estimated to absorb a moderate share of income, and a typical mortgage is somewhat higher than rent. The national median household income has been climbing slowly, and the unemployment rate has been stable at a low figure. For a family moving into the area, the housing market is the primary cost consideration, and it reflects the desirability of a school district that families are seeking out.
A parent looking at this school should see it as a single piece of a larger district pathway. Students leave after sixth grade for a junior high, then move on to the high school that anchors the town. The school does not offer programs like advanced placement or career pathways because those are not available at the intermediate level. The curriculum is a general education program for a narrow grade band. Discipline data and chronic absenteeism numbers are not reported in the available information, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about school climate and attendance patterns.
What this school offers is a focused intermediate experience within a district that has a clear reputation for academic strength in the county. The town is growing, the housing is expensive, and the student body is economically and racially homogeneous. For a family already living in New Palestine or moving there for the schools, this intermediate school sits at a moment in the pipeline that is short but consequential; how a child does here sets the stage for the junior high and high school years. The test results are a clear positive signal, and the town’s growth pattern suggests steady demand for seats in the district. A parent looking for a diverse, urban setting or for specialized program options at this grade level will not find them here. A parent looking for a strong academic track record in a small-town environment that is becoming more suburban should find this a straightforward fit.
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