Tri-Central Community Schools

Tri-Central Community Schools is a small Indiana district serving roughly 786 students across two schools: Tri Central Elementary, covering grades PK–5 with 397 students, and Tri Central Middle-High School, serving grades 6–12 with 389 students. The district overall is ranked 196th of 374 in Indiana, at the 48th percentile with 2 stars.

The elementary currently has the stronger academic profile. In 2025–2026 it ranked 441 of 1,015 (57th percentile, 3 stars), up from 2 stars and the 44th percentile the year before. Its all-grade ELA proficiency of 52.13% and math proficiency of 36.17% both top the district averages of 44.82% and 29.13%. Its brightest spots are 5th grade ELA at 64.71% and 5th grade Social Studies at 63.24%, both well above state levels. The middle-high's standout metrics are a 96.6% graduation rate, well above Indiana's 89.7%, and 7th grade ELA at 52.38% versus the state's 41.7%. However, it slipped from the 72nd percentile with 4 stars in 2024–2025 to the 48th percentile with 2 stars in 2025–2026, and its all-grade ELA (36.69%) and math (21.3%) sit below district averages.

Math is the clearest shared weakness. Every reported elementary math grade level was below the state, while 8th grade math at 3.92% and SAT Math at 15.91% (down from 27.59%) are especially low. Both schools improved ELA and math from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, but science declined at both. Chronic absenteeism at the two schools (15.5% and 14.9%) is below the state's 16.7%. Notably, the middle-high spends more per student ($12,892 vs. $9,996) and has a smaller student-teacher ratio (12.5 vs. 14.7), yet the elementary posts higher proficiency in core subjects.