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James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School

Q: Is James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School a good school?

James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School ranks 338 th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

338^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School is a public elementary school in New Castle, Indiana, serving 253 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the New Castle Community School Corporation, which is ranked 239 out of 380 school districts in the state.

James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School consistently outperforms the district and state in academic proficiency, with 42.57% of students proficient or better in ILEARN/English Language Arts and 56.44% proficient in ILEARN/Math, compared to 30.91% and 32.97% for the district, respectively. The school also maintains lower chronic absenteeism rates than the district. Despite serving a population with a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, the school has been able to achieve strong academic outcomes, likely due to its effective educational programs and support systems.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, Wilbur Wright Elementary School and Eastwood Elementary School, James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School significantly outperforms them in academic proficiency. This consistent high performance has allowed the school to rank in the top 20-30% of Indiana elementary schools based on the SchoolDigger statewide rankings, making it an exemplary model within the local education system.

246

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,090

Per pupil spending ?

49.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1201 Riley Rd
New Castle, IN 47362

(765) 521-7211

District: New Castle Community School Corp

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.6%

Two or more races:

4.5%

Asian:

2.8%

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Compare James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2015 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (47% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Above the Indiana median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg33%

Indiana avg38%

338^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Elementary Schools in the New Castle Community School Corp

239^th of 380New Castle Community 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
2025	64.8	338 of 1005	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.4	243 of 1011	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	79.6	188 of 1016	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	180 of 1020	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	70.8	288 of 1016	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	72.2	268 of 1031	74.0%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	149 of 1027	85.5%	★★★★☆
2017	78.5	178 of 1033	82.8%	★★★★☆
2016	88.1	52 of 1046	95.0%	★★★★★
2015	82.0	124 of 1040	88.1%	★★★★☆
2014	78.2	157 of 1036	84.8%	★★★★☆
2013	79.8	140 of 1035	86.5%	★★★★☆
2012	83.3	93 of 1015	90.8%	★★★★★
2011	81.8	104 of 1025	89.9%	★★★★☆
2010	83.1	97 of 1009	90.4%	★★★★★
2009	83.6	98 of 1003	90.2%	★★★★★
2008	69.8	277 of 996	72.2%	★★★★☆
2007	72.7	228 of 985	76.9%	★★★★☆
2006	73.6	207 of 961	78.5%	★★★★☆
2005	77.0	156 of 959	83.7%	★★★★☆
2004	77.5	48 of 326	85.3%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Math56%

English Language Arts43%

Science42%

Social Studies40%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near James Whitcomb Riley Elementary 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)					ILEARN Math (2025)					ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (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	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1201 Riley Rd	New Castle	47362	Henry County	New Castle Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(765) 521-7211	246	17	14.4	49.6%	218 (88.6%)	3 (1.2%)	7 (2.8%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.5%)	64.8	338^th of 1005 public elementary schools	66.4%		74.4	243^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	76.0%	95	48.6	33.3	42.9		42.6	62.9	54.2	52.4		56.4	41.7		41.7	40.5	$11,090	$1,259	$9,832
Parker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1819 Roosevelt	New Castle	47362	Henry County	New Castle Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 521-7209	278	22	12.4	76.6%	227 (81.7%)	7 (2.5%)	19 (6.8%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.3%)	12.3	888^th of 1005 public elementary schools	11.6%		21.4	796^th of 1011 public elementary schools	21.3%	92	31.6	12.2	20.0		21.0	21.1	4.9	7.5		10.9	14.6		14.6	12.5	$11,944	$1,581	$10,364
Eastwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	806 S 22nd St	New Castle	47362	Henry County	New Castle Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 521-7205	257	26	9.8	74.7%	217 (84.4%)	9 (3.5%)	10 (3.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.8%)	20.5	812^th of 1005 public elementary schools	19.2%		28	746^th of 1011 public elementary schools	26.2%	66	29.6	23.3	29.2		26.6	37.0	23.3	0.0		21.3	27.9		27.9	8.3	$13,535	$3,751	$9,783
Westwood Elementary School	Public	K-6	1015 S Greensboro Pike	New Castle	47362	Henry County	New Castle Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(765) 521-7215	256	17	15.0	36.3%	242 (94.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	66.1	324^th of 1005 public elementary schools	67.8%		76.8	214^th of 1011 public elementary schools	78.8%	110	39.0	50.0	40.5		43.4	78.1	65.9	46.0		63.9	38.6		38.6	37.8	$10,440	$1,203	$9,237
Wilbur Wright Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1950 Washington St	New Castle	47362	Henry County	New Castle Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 521-7217	305	24	12.8	72.5%	247 (81.0%)	2 (0.7%)	24 (7.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (10.2%)	47.9	540^th of 1005 public elementary schools	46.3%		41.4	613^th of 1011 public elementary schools	39.4%	73	38.6	32.0	37.5		36.0	50.0	46.0	35.7		43.3	40.0		40.0	33.9	$11,820	$1,685	$10,135
Tri Elementary School	Public	K-5	6972 S St Rd 103	Straughn	47387	Henry County	South Henry School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 987-7090	358	23	15.9	49.7%	329 (91.9%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	32.6	700^th of 1005 public elementary schools	30.3%		41.5	610^th of 1011 public elementary schools	39.7%	90	26.8	28.3	19.7		24.7	50.0	49.1	31.2		42.9	30.2		30.2	18.0	$9,449	$643	$8,805
Blue River Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4713 N Viking Trail	New Castle	47362	Henry County	Blue River Valley Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 836-4851	331	24	14.0	54.4%	295 (89.1%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.8%)	55.2	459^th of 1005 public elementary schools	54.3%		49.3	533^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	47.3%	74	40.0	23.1	38.5	34.4	33.8	68.6	51.3	46.2	31.3	49.7	33.3	40.6	36.6	59.0	$11,004	$1,135	$9,869
Knightstown Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	8632 S Sr 109	Knightstown	46148	Henry County	C A Beard Memorial School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 345-2151	372	21	17.8	32.0%	335 (90.1%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.2%)								(n/a)	50.0				50.0	60.0				60.0					$9,918	$729	$9,189
Indiana Online Learning Academy K-5	Public, Virtual	K-5	5100 N. Raider Rd.	Middletown	47356	Henry County	Shenandoah School Corporation	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(765) 354-2266	80	5	16.0	58.8%	51 (63.8%)	15 (18.8%)	9 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.3%)								(n/a)
Shenandoah Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5256 N Raider Rd	Middletown	47356	Henry County	Shenandoah School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 354-6636	630	34	18.6	52.2%	583 (92.5%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.8%)	82.5	154^th of 1005 public elementary schools	84.7%		77.2	211^th of 1011 public elementary schools	79.1%	57	63.7	48.3	56.7		56.6	82.4	67.8	62.9		71.3	41.4		41.4	53.6	$10,094	$416	$9,678

Frequently Asked Questions about James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School

How many students attend James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 246 students attended James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School?

Students at James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School are 89% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 1% African American.

What district is James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School in?

New Castle Community School Corp

Is James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School a good school?

James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School ranks 338^th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School!

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

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

2024–25 ILEARN & SAT test scoresJul 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.