Summary
West Newton Elementary School is a K–6 school in West Newton, IN, serving 559 students as part of MSD Decatur Township. In 2025–2026 it ranked 676th of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools — the 33rd percentile with 2 stars — and it has hovered between the 27th and 35th percentile over the past decade. Within its district, it is the strongest comprehensive elementary, outranking Blue Academy, Valley Mills Elementary School, Gold Academy, Lynwood Elementary, and Stephen Decatur Elementary School. The selective Decatur High Ability Academy, which ranks 3rd statewide, is a different kind of program and not a fair comparison.
Test scores beat the district but generally trail the state. All-grade proficiency was 33.14% in ELA, 31.27% in Math, and 34.52% in Science, versus district rates of 26.91%, 26.47%, and 27.32%. Yet Math is below the state average in every tested grade, and 5th grade is the clearest weak spot: ELA 26.74%, Math 19.77%, and Social Studies 25.58%, all under district and state. Sixth-grade ELA is a real strength at 52.22% proficient, above the district's 35.91% and the state's 41.3%. Compared with nearby schools, West Newton trails North Madison Elementary School in every major subject, and Rosa Parks Elementary School and Glenns Valley Elementary School in Math.
Two other factors stand out. Chronic absenteeism rose from 8.3% in 2020–2021 to 16.3% in 2024–2025 — still below the district's 24.4% and slightly below the state's 16.7%, but well above North Madison (9.2%), Glenns Valley (9.4%), and Rosa Parks (9.9%). The school also spent $12,088 per student in 2023–2024, more than North Madison's $9,494, even though North Madison posts much higher scores; North Madison also has a lower free/reduced-lunch rate (48.72% versus 62.61%), so the comparison is not apples-to-apples. Overall, West Newton is a relative bright spot inside a struggling district, with room to grow in Math, 5th grade, and attendance.
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