Best Public Schools in Garrett, IN

Garrett, Indiana has three public schools — one elementary, one middle and one high school — serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, all within the Garrett-Keyser-Butler Com School Corp. J E Ober Elementary School serves PK–5 with 704 students, Garrett Middle School serves grades 6–8 with 387 students, and Garrett High School serves grades 9–12 with 553 students. The district as a whole ranks 268th of 374 Indiana districts — the 28th percentile — with 1 star, so all three schools sit in the lower half of their state comparison groups.

Among the three, Garrett Middle School has the strongest current standing: 297th of 486, or 39th percentile with 2 stars, up from 31st percentile the year before. Its chronic absenteeism is 8.8%, better than the district's 10.6% and the state's 16.7%, and its ELA (33.24%) and science (40.59%) scores sit slightly above district averages, though math lags at 24.22%. J E Ober Elementary School has the best attendance in the city at 5.6% — about half the district rate and roughly one-third the state rate — and has climbed from 24th percentile (1 star) to 30th percentile (2 stars). Garrett High School posts the weakest current rating at 29th percentile with 1 star, down from 34th percentile, and its SAT Math proficiency is only 11.54% against the state's 25.6%, yet it graduates 99.3% of students versus 89.7% statewide.

Families should note a few patterns. Attendance does not simply follow poverty here: the elementary has the highest free/reduced lunch rate (59.52%) yet the lowest absenteeism, while the high school has the lowest lunch rate (40.14%) but the highest absenteeism at 18.3%. Math is the clearest weak spot in the secondary grades, and 5th grade outcomes are a major concern — 5th grade ELA is 17.07% versus 42.2% statewide, math is 20.33% versus 42%, and social studies is 30.08% versus 47.2%. Science is a relative bright spot, and the high school's Biology ILEARN End of Course improved from 24.27% to 33.33%. Spending is highest at the high school ($13,517 per student) and lowest at the elementary ($10,443).