Loogootee Middle School

Loogootee Middle School is a public school in Loogootee, Indiana, serving 223 students in grades 5–8 as part of the Loogootee Community School Corp. In 2025–2026 it ranked 110th out of 486 Indiana middle schools — the 77th percentile — and earned 4 stars, placing it in the top quarter of the state. That is a steady climb: in 2022–2023 the school ranked 162nd of 489 with 3 stars, and it has earned 4 stars in each of the last three reported years. The district itself ranks 76th of 374 Indiana districts with a 4-star rating.

Among nearby schools, Jasper Middle School is the regional leader, ranking 50th of 486 (90th percentile). Loogootee clearly outpaces Washington Junior High School (324th, 2 stars) and Shoals Middle School (376th, 1 star). In 2025–2026, 53.71% of Loogootee students were proficient in English Language Arts, close to Jasper's 56.12%, versus 24.01% at Washington Junior High, 19.65% at Washington Upper Elementary, and 18.18% at Shoals. Science is nearly tied with Jasper (51.92% vs. 52.16%). Chronic absenteeism was 9.5%, far below the state's 16.7% and well below Washington and Shoals, though Jasper is better at 4.3%. Loogootee serves a similar share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (37.22%) as Jasper (39.07%) while spending less per student ($9,905) and having a lower student–teacher ratio (12.1).

Two things stand out for parents. First, reading and science are real strengths: 6th-grade ELA proficiency (63.46%) and 5th-grade Math (67.27%) are well above state averages, and attendance has improved dramatically from 16.1% chronically absent in 2022–2023 to 9.5% in 2024–2025. Second, math is the area to watch, especially in the upper grades, where proficiency falls from 67.27% in 5th grade to 48.08% in 6th, 37.88% in 7th, and 33.93% in 8th — the last of which is essentially at the state average. Strengthening math in grades 7–8 is the clearest opportunity to match the school's otherwise strong results and close the gap with Jasper.