Summary:
Bluffton, Indiana is a small city in Wells County served by four public schools enrolling roughly 2,346 students in grades PK–12, divided between two districts: MSD Bluffton-Harrison operates three of the four buildings (about 77% of local enrollment), while Norwell Community Schools is represented here by one school, Lancaster Central School.
Results vary meaningfully by building. Lancaster Central School has the strongest math in the city (54.17% proficient at all grades, and 65.43% in 3rd grade math) and the lowest poverty indicator (40.71% free/reduced lunch). Bluffton-Harrison Middle School is the only school whose state rank percentile improved over three years (63rd to 67th) and is the strongest in science (48.12%), with the city's lowest chronic absenteeism (5.8%). Bluffton High School claims the headline result — a 100% graduation rate versus 89.7% statewide and 60.14% Biology proficiency — but SAT scores fell sharply and its rank percentile dropped from 85th to 67th. Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School is the only 2-star school, carrying the highest free/reduced lunch rate (58%), the highest student-teacher ratio (14.8) and the lowest per-student spending ($9,429); none of its grade-level test results meet the state average.
Two citywide patterns matter for families. Absenteeism is a genuine strength: all four schools range from 5.8% to 9.6%, against a state rate of 16.7%. Momentum, however, is a concern — three of the four schools lost rank percentile over the past three years. The sharpest single contrast is 5th grade ELA: 23.53% at the middle school versus 46.6% at Lancaster Central. Both elementaries also fall below the state in 4th grade ELA and science.
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