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DeKalb High School

Q: Is DeKalb High School a good school?

DeKalb High School ranks 135 th of 429 Indiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

135^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 429 Indiana High Schools

Better than 69% of Indiana high schools

Summary

DeKalb High School is a public high school located in Waterloo, Indiana, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,052 students. It is part of the DeKalb County Ctl United School District, which is ranked 169 out of 380 districts in Indiana and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

DeKalb High School has shown a fluctuating academic performance, with its statewide ranking ranging from 71st to 158th out of Indiana high schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on standardized tests, such as ILEARN and SAT, has also been mixed, with the school outperforming the state and district averages in some areas but struggling in others, particularly in mathematics. The school has performed well for male students and special education students, ranking in the top half of Indiana high schools in these categories, but has struggled with the performance of Hispanic students, ranking in the bottom 10% of Indiana high schools in this subgroup.

Compared to nearby high schools, such as Northrop High School, Prairie Heights Senior High School, and Carroll High School, DeKalb High School generally performs at a lower level in terms of academic achievement and statewide rankings. However, DeKalb High School outperforms some of the nearby schools, such as Hamilton Community High School and Garrett High School, in areas like graduation rates and student subgroup performance. The school's socioeconomic factors, such as the high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, may be contributing to its academic challenges, and the relationship between increased spending and academic outcomes at DeKalb High School warrants further investigation.

1,007

Students ?

17.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,438

Per pupil spending ?

38.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3424 Cr 427
Waterloo, IN 46793

(260) 920-1012

District: DeKalb County Ctl United School District

Feeder schools for DeKalb High School:

Elementary:	Country Meadow Elementary School
	James R Watson Elementary School
	McKenney-Harrison Elementary School
	Waterloo Elementary School
Middle:	DeKalb Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.2%

Hispanic:

5.6%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated Indiana high schools

Compare DeKalb High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 70th percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Indiana average (90%)

✓Above the Indiana median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg43%

Indiana avg42%

135^th of 429

Indiana public high schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

169^th of 380DeKalb County Ctl United School District 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
2025	60.9	135 of 429	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.9	81 of 432	81.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.0	98 of 398	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	65.3	132 of 409	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.9	71 of 388	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	56.3	144 of 389	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	158 of 385	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.1	187 of 380	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.8	150 of 394	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.7	120 of 400	70.0%	★★★★☆
2014	52.6	136 of 379	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.7	127 of 353	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.6	88 of 373	76.4%	★★★★☆
2011	62.1	82 of 364	77.5%	★★★★☆
2010	49.6	138 of 362	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.4	115 of 364	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.3	142 of 360	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.9	156 of 354	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.2	102 of 349	70.8%	★★★★☆
2005	59.9	157 of 349	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	55.6	153 of 387	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.8	83 of 392	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	59.4	132 of 388	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	16.5	161 of 181	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.8	80 of 184	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	84.3	27 of 164	83.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	57.8	129 of 377	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.1	70 of 377	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	67.6	75 of 379	80.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	120 of 386	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	88 of 392	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.6	84 of 383	78.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	58.4	89 of 298	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.3	71 of 289	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.1	55 of 285	80.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	53.3	143 of 377	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.9	85 of 381	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	56.0	121 of 375	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.5	166 of 378	56.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)70th percentile~ school

Male (2025)69th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)66th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)60th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)11th percentile-57 vs school

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing55%~ state avg

Biology50%+5 vs state

Mathematics24%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near DeKalb High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)				ILEARN Math (2025)				ILEARN Science (2025)		ILEARN Biology (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th 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 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
DeKalb High School	Public	9-12	3424 Cr 427	Waterloo	46793	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Ctl United School District	No	No	No	No	(260) 920-1012	1,007	57	17.6	38.6%	898 (89.2%)	4 (0.4%)	56 (5.6%)	15 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	28 (2.8%)	60.9	135^th of 429 public high schools	68.5%		69.9	81^st of 432 public high schools	81.3%	54	54.5	23.6											50.2	$12,438	$206	$12,232
Garrett High School	Public	9-12	801 E Houston St	Garrett	46738	DeKalb County	Garrett-Keyser-Butler Com School Corp	No	No	No	No	(260) 357-4114	553	44	12.7	40.1%	488 (88.2%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.3%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	19 (3.4%)	33.1	295^th of 429 public high schools	31.2%		35	284^th of 432 public high schools	34.3%	11	51.7	13.4											24.3	$13,517	$740	$12,776
Eastside Junior-Senior High School	Public	7-12	603 E Green St	Butler	46721	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Eastern Com School District	No	No	No	No	(260) 868-2186	559	44	12.7	45.1%	520 (93.0%)	5 (0.9%)	22 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	59.8	140^th of 429 public high schools	67.4%		46.1	226^th of 432 public high schools	47.7%	86	49.5	29.0		29.8	47.4	37.8		26.6	56.4	40.1			46.9	$16,173	$606	$15,567
Hamilton Community High School	Public	6-12	903 S Wayne St	Hamilton	46742	DeKalb County	Hamilton Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(260) 488-2161	183	22	8.5	49.2%	172 (94.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.7%)	26.6	318^th of 429 public high schools	25.9%		48	212^th of 432 public high schools	50.9%	106	33.3	7.4	29.0	30.4	42.3	33.8	16.1	17.4	26.9	20.0	35.5	35.5	40.0	$19,853	$168	$19,685
Impact Institutue	Public	6-12	1607 E Dowling St	Kendallville	46755	Noble County	DeKalb County Eastern Com School District	No	No	No	No	(888) 349-0250	0	21	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
East Noble High School	Public	9-12	901 Garden St	Kendallville	46755	Noble County	East Noble School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(260) 347-2032	1,019	68	14.9	32.5%	909 (89.2%)	8 (0.8%)	76 (7.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.2%)	63.8	117^th of 429 public high schools	72.7%		49	205^th of 432 public high schools	52.5%	88	57.5	22.9											52.9	$11,944	$573	$11,371
Leo Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	14600 Amstutz Rd	Leo	46765	Allen County	East Allen County Schools	No	No	No	No	(260) 446-0180	1,328	76	17.4	18.8%	1,138 (85.7%)	29 (2.2%)	61 (4.6%)	15 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	81 (6.1%)	79.3	49^th of 429 public high schools	88.6%		85.3	32^nd of 432 public high schools	92.6%	17	72.4	31.0		54.5	57.7	56.1		52.6	44.8	48.6			57.9	$10,320	$732	$9,588
Angola High School	Public	9-12	350 S John McBride Ave	Angola	46703	Steuben County	MSD Steuben County	No	No	No	No	(260) 665-2186	714	50	14.2	41.3%	572 (80.1%)	6 (0.8%)	101 (14.1%)	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.5%)	63.3	120^th of 429 public high schools	72.0%		52.2	186^th of 432 public high schools	56.9%	66	62.2	28.7											23.7	$11,200	$520	$10,680
Carroll High School	Public	9-12	3701 Carroll Rd	Fort Wayne	46818	Allen County	Northwest Allen County Schools	No	No	No	No	(260) 637-3161	2,623	145	18.0	22.9%	2,027 (77.3%)	97 (3.7%)	167 (6.4%)	172 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	158 (6.0%)	85.8	27^th of 429 public high schools	93.7%		84.9	34^th of 432 public high schools	92.1%	7	75.3	37.1											62.4	$9,546	$320	$9,226
Prairie Heights Senior High School	Public	9-12	0245 S 1150 E	LaGrange	46761	LaGrange County	Prairie Heights Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(260) 351-3039	432	32	13.5	39.8%	389 (90.0%)	3 (0.7%)	26 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	61.4	129^th of 429 public high schools	69.9%		49.7	201^st of 432 public high schools	53.5%	72	50.6	25.3											53.5	$14,843	$202	$14,642

Frequently Asked Questions about DeKalb High School

What schools feed into DeKalb High School?

DeKalb High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Country Meadow Elementary School
Elementary : James R Watson Elementary School
Elementary : McKenney-Harrison Elementary School
Elementary : Waterloo Elementary School
Middle : DeKalb Middle School

How many students attend DeKalb High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,007 students attended DeKalb High School.

What district is DeKalb High School in?

DeKalb County Ctl United School District

Is DeKalb High School a good school?

DeKalb High School ranks 135^th of 429 Indiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of DeKalb High School?

Students at DeKalb High School are 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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Schools in Waterloo, IN

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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.