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South Dearborn High School

Q: Is South Dearborn High School a good school?

South Dearborn High School ranks 131 st of 415 Indiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

131^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 415 Indiana High Schools

Better than 68% of Indiana high schools

Summary

South Dearborn High School is a public high school in Aurora, Indiana, serving grades 9–12 in the South Dearborn Community School Corp, with 625 students. In 2025–26 it ranked 131 of 415 Indiana high schools — the 68th percentile — earning 3 stars, a dramatic turnaround from 2015–16, when it sat at 337 of 394 (14th percentile, 1 star), and from 2022–23, when it ranked 313 of 398. Among nearby schools, South Dearborn is second only to East Central High School (54 of 415, 87th percentile, 4 stars) and essentially tied with South Ripley High School (138 of 415), while ranking ahead of Milan High School, Lawrenceburg High School, and Rising Sun High School.

That improvement is real but uneven. Graduation stands at 93.7%, above Indiana's 89.7% but below every nearby high school — Lawrenceburg (98.8%), Milan (98.7%), Rising Sun (98.0%), South Ripley (96.4%), and East Central (96.4%). Chronic absenteeism is the clearest concern: 24.1% of students, the highest among nearby schools and well above the South Dearborn Community School Corp rate of 14.1% and the state's 16.7%. In reading, South Dearborn's SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 54.14% is above the state's 51.9% and above all nearby schools except East Central. SAT Math, at 23.57%, is below the state's 25.6%. Biology ILEARN proficiency is 46.83%, up from 5.88% in 2022–23.

South Dearborn also stands out for how well it serves students who often lag behind elsewhere. Low-income students rank in the 77th percentile and special education students in the 76th percentile — both 4-star results above the school's overall 68th percentile. The school's resources look favorable: a student-teacher ratio of 13.7 is lower than South Ripley, East Central, and Lawrenceburg, and per-student spending was $13,199 in 2023–24, with 38.4% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Notably, the school's 68th percentile sits above its district's 59th percentile, suggesting the high school performs stronger than its district context might imply.

625

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,585

Per pupil spending ?

38.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

5770 Highlander Dr
Aurora, IN 47001

(812) 926-3772

District: South Dearborn Community School Corp

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.4%

Two or more races:

1.9%

Hispanic:

1.3%

See top rated Indiana high schools

Compare South Dearborn High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Indiana average (90%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 54 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Indiana median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (23% vs 15% Indiana)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg43%

Indiana avg39%

131^st of 415

Indiana public high schools ?

Top 32%▲ up 54 pts since 2016

From bottom 14% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

154^th of 374South Dearborn Community School Corp among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	60.1	131 of 415	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.7	195 of 429	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.9	206 of 432	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	24.9	313 of 398	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.8	267 of 409	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.4	310 of 388	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.1	272 of 389	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	276 of 385	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.7	303 of 380	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.3	337 of 394	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.4	287 of 400	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.7	244 of 379	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.7	126 of 353	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	46.3	182 of 373	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.9	114 of 364	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	26.1	284 of 362	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	62.8	153 of 364	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.9	225 of 360	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.4	230 of 354	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.3	229 of 349	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.1	227 of 349	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	113 of 395	71.4%	★★★★☆
2025	46.9	207 of 387	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	196 of 392	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.4	313 of 388	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	89 of 390	77.2%	★★★★☆
2025	51.8	165 of 377	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	166 of 377	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.1	312 of 379	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	142 of 397	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.2	180 of 386	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.3	200 of 392	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.6	304 of 383	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	69 of 292	76.4%	★★★★☆
2025	26.7	239 of 298	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.7	127 of 289	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	20.3	262 of 285	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	51.8	155 of 387	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.0	227 of 377	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	224 of 381	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.9	343 of 375	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	285 of 378	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2026)76th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)64th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)60th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing54%~ state avg

Biology47%

Mathematics24%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near South Dearborn High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	ILEARN Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Dearborn High School	Public	9-12	5770 Highlander Dr	Aurora	47001	Dearborn County	South Dearborn Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 926-3772	625	46	13.7	38.4%	596 (95.4%)	5 (0.8%)	8 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (1.9%)	60.1	131^st of 415 public high schools	68.4%		51.7	195^th of 429 public high schools	54.5%	64	54.1	23.6	46.8	$13,585	$466	$13,119
Lawrenceburg High School	Public	9-12	100 Tiger Blvd	Lawrenceburg	47025	Dearborn County	Lawrenceburg Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 537-7219	716	38	18.6	34.9%	620 (86.6%)	13 (1.8%)	24 (3.4%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.4%)	47.6	207^th of 415 public high schools	50.1%		38.1	275^th of 429 public high schools	35.9%	68	53.4	16.5	33.0	$13,001	$239	$12,762
Rising Sun High School	Public	9-12	120 S Henrietta St	Rising Sun	47040	Ohio County	Rising Sun-Ohio County Com	No	No	No	No	(812) 438-2652	235	17	13.5	38.3%	223 (94.9%)	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	46	218^th of 415 public high schools	47.5%		39.5	270^th of 429 public high schools	37.1%	52	51.9	15.4	38.3	$15,168	$639	$14,529
Milan High School	Public	9-12	609 N Warpath Dr	Milan	47031	Ripley County	Milan Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(812) 654-3096	315	24	12.9	46.0%	300 (95.2%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	51.9	184^th of 415 public high schools	55.7%		57.4	157^th of 429 public high schools	63.4%	27	45.9	21.3	48.3	$14,177	$567	$13,609
East Central High School	Public	9-12	1 Trojan Pl - Suite A	Saint Leon	47012	Dearborn County	Sunman-Dearborn Com School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 576-4811	1,225	69	17.7	18.9%	1,163 (94.9%)	3 (0.2%)	28 (2.3%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (2.2%)	77.7	54^th of 415 public high schools	87.0%		74.4	63^rd of 429 public high schools	85.3%	9	68.4	30.6	56.4	$12,632	$290	$12,343
South Ripley High School	Public	9-12	1589 S Benham Rd	Versailles	47042	Ripley County	South Ripley Com School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 689-5303	358	22	16.6	46.6%	342 (95.5%)	2 (0.6%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	58.4	138^th of 415 public high schools	66.7%		55.2	169^th of 429 public high schools	60.6%	31	48.6	19.4	59.5	$13,837	$85	$13,752
Southeastern Career Center	Public	6-12	901 West US 50	Versailles	47042	Ripley County	Southeastern Career Center	No	No	No	No	(812) 689-5253	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about South Dearborn High School

Is South Dearborn High School a good school?

South Dearborn High School ranks 131^st of 415 Indiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Dearborn High School?

Students at South Dearborn High School are 95% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

What schools feed into South Dearborn High School?

South Dearborn High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Aurora Elementary School
Elementary : Dillsboro Elementary School
Middle : South Dearborn Middle School

How many students attend South Dearborn High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 625 students attended South Dearborn High School.

What district is South Dearborn High School in?

South Dearborn Community School Corp

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 28, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 28, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 20, 2026

2023–24 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.