Best Public Schools in Paragon, IN

Paragon, Indiana has only one public school in this data set: Paragon Elementary School, an elementary school serving grades PK–4 with 196 students. There are no middle schools, high schools, or alternative schools listed for the city, so older students presumably attend schools outside the immediate Paragon area. The school is part of MSD Martinsville Schools, a district ranked 199 out of 374 in Indiana with a 47th percentile ranking and 2 stars. With 196 students and a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio, Paragon Elementary is a small school where grade-level results come from small cohorts, so year-to-year swings should be read with some caution.

Against its own district, the school has some clear bright spots. All-grades math proficiency was 44.58% in 2025–26 versus the district's 38.73%, and 55.13% in 2024–25 versus 40.22%. All-grades science rose from 32.35% in 2024–25 to 39.53% in 2025–26, a gain of 7.18 percentage points, and 4th-grade science (39.53%) edged the district's 39.1%. Chronic absenteeism is also a relative strength: 16.6% at the school, compared with 18.9% in the district and 16.7% statewide. About 59.69% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and reported per-student spending is $12,325.

The picture is more mixed against the state. Paragon Elementary ranked 615 of 1,015 in 2025–26, the 39th percentile with 2 stars — down from the 50th percentile and 2 stars in 2024–25, though still above the 30th percentile and 1 star in 2023–24. Grade-level scores trail state averages in most tested areas. ELA is the clearest weakness: 4th-grade ELA was 27.91% versus the state's 42.2%, a 14.29 percentage point gap, and 3rd-grade ELA was 35% versus 40.8%. Math also lagged the state at grade level, with 3rd grade at 45% versus 51.9% and 4th grade at 44.19% versus 52%. All-grades ELA and math both declined year over year, while science was the only subject to improve.