Hayden Elementary School

Hayden Elementary School is a K–6 school in the small Jennings County community of Hayden, Indiana, serving 284 students as one of six elementary schools in the Jennings County School Corporation. In 2025–26 it ranked 474th of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools (53rd percentile, 3 stars), placing it squarely in the middle of the state and fourth among its district's six elementaries — the product of a slow, decade-long climb from the 31st percentile.

Hayden's test scores beat its own district in all three tested subjects: 35.4% in English language arts versus 34.2%, 46.3% in math versus 42.3%, and 42.5% in science versus 37.4%. Math has topped the district four years running. Chronic absenteeism is a genuine bright spot at 12.4% — well below the district's 18.6% and the state's 16.7% — though it has climbed sharply from 1.3% in 2021–22. Against nearby schools, Hayden sits mid-pack. Graham Creek Elementary School, 9.8 miles away in the same district with nearly identical demographics, ranks in the 82nd percentile with 69.4% math and 57.6% ELA proficiency, which suggests Hayden's results are not simply a matter of who attends. Hayden also clearly outperforms most elementaries in the neighboring Seymour Community Schools district, three of which sit at or below the 26th percentile.

The most striking pattern inside the school is by grade level: fourth grade beats the state by roughly 8 points in both reading and math, while third grade trails the state by 15–18 points in both — making early reading and math the clearest area to watch. Sixth-grade math is a strength (about 6 points above state), science quietly exceeds district norms, and fifth-grade social studies beats the district every year despite wide swings. Overall, Hayden is a steady, slightly-above-district school whose own fourth-grade results hint at a higher ceiling.