Summary:
Hanover, Indiana is a small community served by three public schools — one elementary (PK–5), one middle (6–8), and one high school (9–12) — all belonging to the Southwestern-Jefferson County Con district, which enrolls 1,263 students and ranks 221 of 374 Indiana districts (41st percentile, 2 stars).
Among the three, Southwestern Elementary School posts the strongest overall profile: the highest rank percentile at 50th with 3 stars, the best attendance at 7.7% chronic absenteeism, and ELA (42.96%) and Math (45.23%) proficiency above the district. Its 5th-grade ELA of 51.16% tops the state's 42.2%, though 5th-grade math (33.72%) and 4th-grade science (38.55%) trail state averages, and its rank percentile has slipped from 62 to 50 over three years. Southwestern Middle School is the most improved in rank (32 → 41) with math and science gains year over year, but remains the weakest in core subjects — ELA 31.71% and Math 26.72%, both below district averages — with 8th grade a sharp pressure point (math 15.84% vs. state 34.2%; ELA 26.73% vs. state 44%). Southwestern High School shows a striking split: a 98.7% graduation rate far above the state's 89.7%, but SAT Math proficiency of just 9.59% against the state's 25.6%, and SAT ERW falling from 53.41% to 42.47%. Biology improved from 38.55% to 51.39%.
Chronic absenteeism is a relative strength across all three schools, each below the state's 16.7%, though the high school's 15.5% is more than double the elementary's 7.7%. Notably, the high school spends $13,707 per student — about 41% more than elementary ($9,721) and middle ($9,715) — without a matching proficiency advantage, and elementary outperforms middle despite higher poverty indicators (65.4% vs. 60% free/reduced lunch) and larger classes (18.6 vs. 13.0 students per teacher).
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