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Central Middle School

Q: Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 142 nd of 486 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

142^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 486 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 71% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School is a grades 7–8 school in Columbus, Indiana, serving 790 students as part of the Bartholomew Con School Corp. In 2025–2026 it ranked 142nd out of 486 Indiana middle schools — the 71st percentile, with a 4-star rating. That is a significant jump from 2024–2025 (199th of 480, 59th percentile, 3 stars) and the school's best showing since 2015–2016. The district overall sits mid-pack statewide at 162/374 (57th percentile, 3 stars), so the school is currently outperforming its district profile.

English language arts is a clear strength. Central's all-grade ELA proficiency of 46.85 is above the district's 41.76 and above Northside Middle School (37.17), Seymour Middle School (34.15), and Edinburgh Community Middle School (28.00), and just ahead of Brown County Middle School (46.59). Eighth-grade ELA is especially strong at 50.39, versus the state's 44. Math is more mixed: all-grade math is 38.24, below the district's 42.98 and well below Indian Creek Middle School (49.21), but above Northside, Brown County, and Seymour Middle. Seventh-grade math is a bright spot at 41.05, above the state's 35.9. Biology End-of-Course results are an extreme outlier — 98.15 to 100 in recent years, compared with district and state figures in the 29–46 range — likely reflecting a specialized or accelerated cohort rather than the general student body.

Chronic absenteeism is the main area to watch: 17.7% in 2024–2025, above the district's 15.9% and the state's 16.7%, though improved from 22.9% in 2022–2023. About 45.44% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, similar to Northside, with per-student spending of $12,099 and a student-teacher ratio of 15.2 — both close to Northside's. Compared with that same-district peer, Central posts a higher statewide rank and higher ELA and math proficiency alongside similar poverty, spending, and class size.

790

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,099

Per pupil spending ?

45.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

725 7th St
Columbus, IN 47201

(812) 376-4287

District: Bartholomew Con School Corp

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Columbus North High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Mount Healthy Elementary School
	Southside Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.5%

Hispanic:

18.0%

Asian:

10.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 53rd percentile in 2019 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 71st (2026) from a 53rd-percentile low (2019)

✓Above the Indiana median (71st percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg42%

142^nd of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Bartholomew Con School Corp

162^nd of 374Bartholomew Con 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	69.3	142 of 486	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	56.7	199 of 480	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	188 of 491	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	228 of 489	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.4	201 of 490	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.2	193 of 483	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.0	220 of 470	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.8	187 of 473	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.2	178 of 472	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.6	116 of 494	76.5%	★★★★☆
2015	69.1	134 of 485	72.4%	★★★★☆
2014	51.3	276 of 470	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.5	306 of 444	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.7	219 of 447	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	42.5	324 of 451	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.3	309 of 428	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	57.7	187 of 423	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.9	180 of 392	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	43.0	270 of 382	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.4	249 of 375	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.3	188 of 370	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Biology98%

English Language Arts47%

Math38%

★

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Schools Near Central Middle 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)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2026)					ILEARN Math (2026)					ILEARN Science (2026)		ILEARN Social Studies (2026)	ILEARN Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Middle School	Public	7-8	725 7th St	Columbus	47201	Bartholomew County	Bartholomew Con School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 376-4287	790	52	15.2	45.4%	502 (63.5%)	25 (3.2%)	142 (18.0%)	81 (10.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.9%)	69.3	142^nd of 486 public middle schools	70.8%		56.7	199^th of 480 public middle schools	58.5%	57			43.3	50.4	46.9			41.1	35.4	38.2				98.2	$12,099	$814	$11,286
Northside Middle School	Public	7-8	1400 27th St	Columbus	47201	Bartholomew County	Bartholomew Con School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 376-4405	908	58	15.7	45.0%	586 (64.5%)	16 (1.8%)	240 (26.4%)	34 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (3.3%)	55.4	205^th of 486 public middle schools	57.8%		57.8	189^th of 480 public middle schools	60.6%	16			39.1	35.3	37.2			35.3	34.4	34.8				100.0	$11,987	$830	$11,157
Edinburgh Community Middle School	Public	6-8	300 S Keeley St	Edinburgh	46124	Johnson County	Edinburgh Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(812) 526-3418	179	14	12.7	54.7%	150 (83.8%)	1 (0.6%)	21 (11.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	5 (2.8%)	36.2	314^th of 486 public middle schools	35.4%		29.4	344^th of 480 public middle schools	28.3%	30		31.3	15.0	39.2	28.0		28.1	21.7	37.3	28.6	25.0	25.0			$12,267	$1,042	$11,225
Seymour Middle School	Public	7-8	920 N O'Brien St	Seymour	47274	Jackson County	Seymour Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(812) 522-5453	778	49	15.8	60.5%	376 (48.3%)	11 (1.4%)	363 (46.7%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.4%)	43.1	276^th of 486 public middle schools	43.2%		38.2	313^th of 480 public middle schools	34.8%	37			32.8	35.7	34.2			30.1	23.6	27.1					$12,181	$1,400	$10,782
Brown County Middle School	Public	6-8	95 S Schoolhouse Ln	Nashville	47448	Brown County	Brown County School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(812) 988-6605	396	27	14.9	43.2%	375 (94.7%)	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	64	168^th of 486 public middle schools	65.4%		39.3	307^th of 480 public middle schools	36.0%	139		51.0	47.4	42.2	46.6		45.1	25.4	31.7	33.6	49.0	49.0			$12,949	$1,346	$11,603
Seymour Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1000 S Poplar St.	Seymour	47274	Jackson County	Seymour Community Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(812) 523-4637	862	56	15.4	63.5%	388 (45.0%)	13 (1.5%)	423 (49.1%)	15 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.6%)								(n/a)	20.6	21.9			21.3	24.7	19.4			21.9	23.5	23.5	30.0		$7,050	$971	$6,079
Indian Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	801 W Indian Creek Dr	Trafalgar	46181	Johnson County	Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson United	No	No	No	No	(317) 878-2130	503	38	13.1	30.6%	467 (92.8%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.0%)	69.5	141^st of 486 public middle schools	71.0%		75.3	105^th of 480 public middle schools	78.1%	36		45.9	43.3	41.2	43.5		53.5	51.0	43.5	49.2	34.1	34.1			$10,182	$164	$10,018

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 64% White, 18% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What district is Central Middle School in?

Bartholomew Con School Corp

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 790 students attended Central Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Central Middle School usually go on to attend Columbus North High School

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 142^nd of 486 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Central Middle School!

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Schools in Columbus, IN

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresNewSep 25, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 16, 2025

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.