Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Van Buren Elementary School

Q: Is Van Buren Elementary School a good school?

Van Buren Elementary School ranks 153 rd of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

153^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Van Buren Elementary School is a public elementary school in Plainfield, Indiana, serving 500 students in grades K-5 and part of the Plainfield Community School Corporation, a highly-ranked school district in the state.

Van Buren Elementary is a strong-performing school, consistently outpacing the district and state averages on ILEARN assessments in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 56.22% of Van Buren students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 54.22% for the district and 40.3% for the state in 3rd grade. However, the school has seen a gradual increase in chronic absenteeism, from 7.8% in 2020-2021 to 17.8% in 2023-2024, and a growing population of economically disadvantaged students, with free and reduced lunch rates rising from 27.68% in 2021-2022 to 37.2% in 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby schools like Guilford Elementary and Brentwood Elementary, Van Buren outperforms them academically, but those schools have lower chronic absenteeism and free/reduced lunch rates. Additionally, Central Elementary, located just 0.16 miles away, has even higher proficiency rates in ELA and Math than Van Buren, suggesting different factors may be contributing to the schools' academic performance. Despite its strong track record, Van Buren's statewide ranking has declined from 29th out of 1,031 elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 153rd out of 1,005 in 2024-2025, which may be due to the school's increasing challenges with attendance and economic disadvantage.

514

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,611

Per pupil spending ?

38.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

225 S Shaw St
Plainfield, IN 46168

(317) 839-2575

District: Plainfield Community School Corp

Students who attend Van Buren Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Plainfield Community Middle School
High:	Plainfield High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.7%

Hispanic:

9.1%

Two or more races:

6.4%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Van Buren Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2015 → 85th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (59% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Indiana elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg56%

Indiana avg38%

153^rd of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 5% (2015) to top 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Plainfield Community School Corp

36^th of 380Plainfield Community School Corp among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	82.8	153 of 1005	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	176 of 1011	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	131 of 1016	87.1%	★★★★☆
2022	84.8	124 of 1020	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	87.4	97 of 1016	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	93.8	29 of 1031	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	92.1	33 of 1027	96.8%	★★★★★
2017	89.4	49 of 1033	95.3%	★★★★★
2016	87.4	61 of 1046	94.2%	★★★★★
2015	89.1	48 of 1040	95.4%	★★★★★
2014	82.6	92 of 1036	91.1%	★★★★★
2013	81.1	116 of 1035	88.8%	★★★★☆
2008	86.9	63 of 996	93.7%	★★★★★
2007	87.3	56 of 985	94.3%	★★★★★
2006	88.3	53 of 961	94.5%	★★★★★
2005	85.7	72 of 959	92.5%	★★★★★

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Math67%

Science57%

English Language Arts56%

Social Studies42%+4 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Van Buren Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Van Buren Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Van Buren Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)					ILEARN Math (2025)					ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Van Buren Elementary School	Public	K-5	225 S Shaw St	Plainfield	46168	Hendricks County	Plainfield Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 839-2575	514	29	17.9	38.9%	415 (80.7%)	13 (2.5%)	47 (9.1%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.4%)	82.8	153^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	84.8%		80.9	176^th of 1011 public elementary schools	82.6%	23	57.7	58.1	52.1		56.2	71.4	68.8	60.6		67.3	57.0		57.0	42.3	$9,611	$505	$9,107
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	110 Wabash St	Plainfield	46168	Hendricks County	Plainfield Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(317) 839-7707	549	33	16.6	32.2%	405 (73.8%)	43 (7.8%)	43 (7.8%)	23 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.4%)	89.1	90^th of 1005 public elementary schools	91.0%		81.7	163^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	83.9%	73	59.5	62.0	67.7		62.9	67.6	68.5	67.7		67.9	64.1		64.1	57.3	$8,941	$487	$8,454
Brentwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	1630 E Oliver St	Plainfield	46168	Hendricks County	Plainfield Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 839-4802	420	27	15.6	52.1%	280 (66.7%)	52 (12.4%)	56 (13.3%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.0%)	78.2	201^st of 1005 public elementary schools	80.0%		83.9	140^th of 1011 public elementary schools	86.2%	61	55.7	46.0	52.5		51.6	77.3	62.2	55.9		66.5	53.4		53.4	40.7	$10,550	$1,071	$9,478
Clarks Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	401 Elm Dr	Plainfield	46168	Hendricks County	Plainfield Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 839-0120	544	34	16.1	62.1%	299 (55.0%)	117 (21.5%)	82 (15.1%)	23 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.2%)	49.1	526^th of 1005 public elementary schools	47.7%		46	572^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	43.4%	46	33.7	44.2	31.1		36.0	43.0	53.3	34.4		43.1	46.8		46.8	34.4	$12,078	$1,622	$10,456
Guilford Elementary	Public	K-5	6440 S County Road 600 E	Plainfield	46168	Hendricks County	Plainfield Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(317) 839-2698	434	26	16.7	32.7%	303 (69.8%)	60 (13.8%)	27 (6.2%)	16 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.5%)	85.6	129^th of 1005 public elementary schools	87.2%		83.1	151^st of 1011 public elementary schools	85.1%	22	59.5	63.6	64.6		62.6	78.4	62.3	54.4		64.8	54.6		54.6	53.2	$10,595	$525	$10,070
Hickory Elementary School	Public	K-4	907 S Avon Avenue	Avon	46123	Hendricks County	Avon Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(317) 544-6300	589	41	14.3	55.3%	218 (37.0%)	199 (33.8%)	72 (12.2%)	61 (10.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.5%)	76.5	216^th of 1005 public elementary schools	78.5%		79.2	194^th of 1011 public elementary schools	80.8%	22	56.4	47.6			51.7	74.6	64.5			69.2	45.2		45.2		$12,775	$645	$12,130
Pine Tree Elementary School	Public	K-4	7866 E Cr 100 S	Avon	46123	Hendricks County	Avon Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 544-6500	450	30	15.0	58.4%	209 (46.4%)	128 (28.4%)	67 (14.9%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.9%)	78.6	196^th of 1005 public elementary schools	80.5%		82.8	157^th of 1011 public elementary schools	84.5%	39	52.0	53.5			52.8	62.0	68.7			65.3	52.5		52.5		$12,963	$791	$12,172
Cedar Elementary School	Public	K-4	685 S Avon Avenue	Avon	46123	Hendricks County	Avon Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 544-6200	638	46	14.0	54.4%	258 (40.4%)	232 (36.4%)	75 (11.8%)	32 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (6.1%)	85.1	133^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	86.8%		81.4	167^th of 1011 public elementary schools	83.5%	34	54.8	56.7			55.8	70.9	71.9			71.4	58.2		58.2		$12,259	$771	$11,488
Maple Elementary School	Public	K-4	7237 E US Hwy 36	Avon	46123	Hendricks County	Avon Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 544-6400	784	50	15.8	57.4%	281 (35.8%)	289 (36.9%)	94 (12.0%)	59 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (7.7%)	71.1	273^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	72.8%		74.3	245^th of 1011 public elementary schools	75.8%	28	54.4	47.2			50.3	58.0	62.7			59.6	44.1		44.1		$11,796	$932	$10,864
Bridgeport Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	9035 W Morris St	Indianapolis	46231	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 988-6200	692	45	15.3	64.7%	120 (17.3%)	328 (47.4%)	193 (27.9%)	12 (1.7%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.8%)	19	828^th of 1005 public elementary schools	17.6%		19.1	824^th of 1011 public elementary schools	18.5%	4	20.2	10.4	29.1	24.0	20.8	31.9	12.3	24.3	16.8	21.0	8.6	25.7	17.0	26.5	$14,093	$1,458	$12,635

Frequently Asked Questions about Van Buren Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Van Buren Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Van Buren Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Plainfield Community Middle School
High : Plainfield High School

How many students attend Van Buren Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 514 students attended Van Buren Elementary School.

Is Van Buren Elementary School a good school?

Van Buren Elementary School ranks 153^rd of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Van Buren Elementary School in?

Plainfield Community School Corp

What is the racial makeup of Van Buren Elementary School?

Students at Van Buren Elementary School are 81% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% Asian.

Rate Van Buren Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

INIndiana Elementary School Rankings

INIndiana District Rankings

Schools in Plainfield, IN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Van Buren Elementary School!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.