The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Premier Arts Academy
Premier Arts Academy is a public charter school in Elkhart, Indiana, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It opened in fall 2023 as Elkhart County's only K-8 public charter school, sponsored by Ball State University, and has expanded its grade span each year since. The school offers a tuition-free, arts-integrated, project-based curriculum that is distinct from the traditional district schools in the area. This is a new school, and its enrollment has grown steadily since opening, with a long waitlist reported.
The school is located in Elkhart, a mid-sized industrial city known as the "RV Capital of the World" and the "Band Instrument Capital of the World." The city's economy is heavily tied to recreational vehicle manufacturing, with major employers including Forest River, Thor Motor Coach, and Keystone, as well as musical instrument maker Conn-Selmer. Elkhart also has a historic downtown with civic anchors like the Lerner Theatre and the Midwest Museum of American Art. The city sits at the confluence of the St. Joseph and Elkhart Rivers, and its economy has historically been sensitive to the cyclical nature of RV manufacturing.
Premier Arts Academy is a small school, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is diverse, with a majority of students identifying as white, a substantial share identifying as Hispanic, and smaller shares identifying as Black or two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as the share of students with disabilities or who are English learners, was not available. The school is a regular public school and a charter school, and it is not a magnet school. Information on Title I status was also not available.
On the 2024-25 Indiana ILEARN assessments, the school's proficiency rates were below the midpoint among districts in Elkhart County. In math, about one in six students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, about one in four students scored proficient or above. In science, about one in five students scored proficient or above. In social studies, which is tested only in fifth grade, about one in nine students scored proficient or above. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Elkhart County. Because the school serves only kindergarten through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report.
The school is located in Elkhart, a mid-sized industrial city with a strong manufacturing base. Housing values in the area are near the national median, and rents are moderate. The school itself is a new option in the city, having opened in fall 2023 as Elkhart County's only K-8 public charter school. It offers an arts-integrated, project-based curriculum that is different from what traditional district schools provide. The school has expanded its grade offerings each year since opening, and it is sponsored by Ball State University. A parent considering this school should weigh the arts-focused, project-based approach against the state assessment results, which show that proficiency rates in core subjects are below the midpoint for the county. The school is small and relatively new, and its waitlist suggests strong demand for its particular educational model.
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