Best Public Schools in Kentland, IN

Kentland, Indiana, is served by three public schools — one elementary (PK–5), one middle (6–8), and one high school (9–12) — all part of the South Newton School Corp district. Together they enroll 846 students. South Newton Elementary School is the largest by far with 430 students (about 51% of the local total), followed by South Newton Senior High School at 225 and South Newton Middle School at 191. The district ranks 158th of 374 Indiana districts, placing it at the 58th percentile with 3 stars.

Among the three, South Newton Middle School has the strongest latest standing: 170th of 486, the 65th percentile, with 3 stars, up from the 46th percentile two years earlier. It outperforms the district in science and posts a strong 6th-grade math result of 52.63%, though 7th- and 8th-grade math fall below their state comparators. South Newton Elementary School is a school of contrasts: 5th-grade social studies (66.67%), math (58.33%), and ELA (50%) all top state rates, but 4th-grade ELA, math, and science are all below state. South Newton Senior High School graduates 91.1% of students, above the state's 89.7%, and biology proficiency jumped from 29.79% to 51.52% — yet it remains the lowest-ranked local school at the 41st percentile with 2 stars, and SAT math is just 12.68% against a state rate of 25.6%.

Chronic absenteeism is a system-wide strength: all three schools sit below the state's 16.7%, led by the elementary school at 8.4%, though rates rise with grade level (middle 10.7%, high 12.5%). Math is the clearest shared weakness, from 4th-grade math through SAT math. Notably, the high school spends the most per student ($16,129) with the smallest classes yet ranks lowest, while the middle school spends the least ($9,375) yet ranks highest.