Hanover Community School Corp

Hanover Community School Corp is a five-school district in Cedar Lake, Indiana, serving about 2,831 students across three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school spanning grades PK through 12. The district ranks 33rd of 374 Indiana districts — the 91st percentile — with a 5-star rating. Hanover Central High School is the largest campus at 857 students, about 30% of enrollment, followed by Red Cedars Elementary at 666, Hanover Central Middle School at 647, Jane Ball Elementary School at 356, and Lincoln Elementary School at 305.

Tested performance differs by school. Red Cedars Elementary posts the strongest elementary math results — 67.81% proficient overall and 75.71% in 3rd-grade math, well above the state's 51.9% — despite the lowest per-student spending ($10,158) and highest student-teacher ratio (20.6). Hanover Central Middle School shows the clearest improvement, its rank percentile rising 75 to 82 to 87 over three years, with all-grade ELA and math each gaining roughly five to six points. Hanover Central High School stands out for a 96.9% graduation rate (state: 89.7%) and SAT results above state averages, though Biology EOC is a soft spot. Jane Ball Elementary School and Lincoln Elementary School serve PK–2 and K–2, so they have no current state test rows; their standing rests on climate and older rankings.

Attendance is a clear dividing line. Lincoln Elementary School has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 4.5%, the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at 11.8%, the smallest classes, and the highest spending at $13,699. Jane Ball Elementary School has the highest free/reduced lunch rate at 26.97% yet absenteeism of only 7.7%. By contrast, absenteeism reaches 14.4% at the high school and 15.9% at the middle school, both above the district's 11.0%, though the middle school stays below the state's 16.7%. Math is a stronger elementary strength than a middle-school one, even as the middle school improves.