Best Public Schools in Peru, IN

The city of Peru, Indiana has four schools — three elementary and one junior/senior high — serving 2,193 students across two districts, Peru Community Schools (1,830 students) and Maconaquah School Corp (363 students). Because Peru Junior/Senior High School serves grades 7–12, the city has no separate middle school; grade spans run PK–2 at Elmwood Primary Learning Center, PK–1 at Pipe Creek Elementary School, 3–6 at Blair Pointe Upper Elementary, and 7–12 at the junior/senior high.

Attendance is the sharpest divide between schools. Peru Junior/Senior High reports 42.7% chronic absenteeism, far above the state's 16.7% and its district's 27.0%, while the elementaries are much lower: Elmwood 11.1%, Pipe Creek 14.1%, and Blair Pointe 16.5%. Only two schools have test-score records here — Peru Junior/Senior High and Blair Pointe. Elmwood and Pipe Creek have none, which reflects their PK–2 and PK–1 grade spans rather than a failure.

Academically, strengths are split. Blair Pointe's math is 36.3%, above the Peru district's 33.16%, but its ELA (28.15%) is below the district (30.25%), with 3rd grade ELA at 23.9% versus the state's 40.8%. Peru Junior/Senior High shows the reverse: ELA (34.94%) above the district, math (26.51%) below. Its SAT Math is a clear weakness at 14.85% versus the state's 25.6%, while Biology EOC rose from 43.93% to 57.78% — though no 2025–26 state comparison is given. Blair Pointe fell from 50th percentile / 3 stars to 38th percentile / 2 stars. On non-test measures, Elmwood has the lowest absenteeism, free/reduced lunch rate (46.83%), and student/teacher ratio (15.2); Pipe Creek has the highest lunch rate (62.53%), largest ratio (20.1), and lowest spending ($10,274), while Peru High spends the most ($12,089). Both districts are rated 2 stars.