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Coulston Elementary School

Q: Is Coulston Elementary School a good school?

Coulston Elementary School ranks 674 th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

674^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Coulston Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Shelbyville, Indiana, serving 434 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Shelbyville Central Schools district, which is ranked 211 out of 380 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Coulston Elementary School has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Indiana elementary schools, maintaining a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past 10 years. The school faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, below-average academic performance, and a high percentage of students from low-income families. For example, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (28.25%), Math (42.15%), and Science (35.14%) for the 2024-2025 school year were lower than the Shelbyville Central Schools district and the state of Indiana. When compared to other nearby schools in the district, such as William F. Loper Elementary School and Thomas A. Hendricks Elementary School, Coulston Elementary School performs similarly or slightly worse in academic metrics.

Despite the increase in spending per student at Coulston Elementary School, from $9,843 in the 2020-2021 school year to $14,094 in the 2023-2024 school year, the academic performance has not shown a corresponding improvement. The school does have a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.5 to 14.6 over the past few years, which could be an advantage in providing more individualized attention to students. To address the challenges faced by Coulston Elementary School, the school and district should consider implementing targeted interventions, analyzing the curriculum and instructional practices, and collaborating with the community to support the needs of the students and their families.

428

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,094

Per pupil spending ?

57.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

121 Knightstown Rd
Shelbyville, IN 46176

(317) 398-3185

District: Shelbyville Central Schools

Students who attend Coulston Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Shelbyville Middle School
High:	Shelbyville Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.2%

Hispanic:

23.6%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Coulston Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (33% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2015

!Social Studies scores 23 pts below the Indiana average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg36%

Indiana avg38%

674^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 26 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Shelbyville Central Schools

211^th of 380Shelbyville Central Schools 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	35.1	674 of 1005	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.0	525 of 1011	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.7	629 of 1016	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	684 of 1020	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	696 of 1016	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	715 of 1031	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	634 of 1027	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.8	550 of 1033	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	66.7	367 of 1046	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.8	431 of 1040	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.8	385 of 1036	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.8	455 of 1035	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.6	363 of 1015	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.2	551 of 1025	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.2	440 of 1009	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	74.4	217 of 1003	78.4%	★★★★☆
2008	77.9	165 of 996	83.4%	★★★★☆
2007	60.7	419 of 985	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	51.8	536 of 961	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	56.3	470 of 959	51.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Math42%

Science35%

English Language Arts28%

Social Studies16%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Coulston Elementary School

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
Coulston Elementary School	Public	K-5	121 Knightstown Rd	Shelbyville	46176	Shelby County	Shelbyville Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 398-3185	428	35	12.4	57.5%	279 (65.2%)	7 (1.6%)	101 (23.6%)	15 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.8%)	35.1	674^th of 1005 public elementary schools	32.9%		50	525^th of 1011 public elementary schools	48.1%	149	24.2	29.7	30.1		28.3	48.5	46.0	33.7		42.2	35.1		35.1	15.7	$14,094	$1,618	$12,476
William F Loper Elementary School	Public	K-5	901 Loper Dr	Shelbyville	46176	Shelby County	Shelbyville Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 398-9725	619	41	15.2	47.2%	480 (77.5%)	12 (1.9%)	72 (11.6%)	13 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (6.6%)	48.9	531^st of 1005 public elementary schools	47.2%		57.1	445^th of 1011 public elementary schools	56.0%	86	35.7	28.9	37.6		34.0	43.5	49.0	52.7		48.1	34.6		34.6	39.8	$10,822	$874	$9,948
Thomas A Hendricks Elementary School	Public	K-5	1111 St Joseph St	Shelbyville	46176	Shelby County	Shelbyville Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 398-7432	565	40	14.3	52.2%	444 (78.6%)	7 (1.2%)	82 (14.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.1%)	37	653^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	35.0%		40.9	620^th of 1011 public elementary schools	38.7%	33	29.3	29.8	30.5		29.8	36.6	48.8	35.4		40.3	33.3		33.3	27.2	$11,630	$1,226	$10,404
Waldron Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	306 S East St	Waldron	46182	Shelby County	Shelby Eastern Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 525-6505	298	18	17.0	43.0%	277 (93.0%)	2 (0.7%)	13 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	61.5	378^th of 1005 public elementary schools	62.4%		67	329^th of 1011 public elementary schools	67.5%	49	27.1	59.5	46.0		43.6	37.5	69.1	50.0		51.4	57.1		57.1	32.7	$10,739	$850	$9,889
Southwestern Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3406 W 600 S	Shelbyville	46176	Shelby County	Southwestern Con School Shelby County	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 729-5320	405	26	15.5	36.0%	386 (95.3%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	63.1	361^st of 1005 public elementary schools	64.1%		56	460^th of 1011 public elementary schools	54.5%	99	41.5	43.5	40.0	58.3	46.5	65.9	56.5	40.0	37.5	50.0	47.8	27.1	37.2	48.6	$10,391	$546	$9,845
Triton Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	4976 W 600 W	Fairland	46126	Shelby County	Northwestern Con School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 835-3003	516	30	17.4	45.0%	474 (91.9%)	2 (0.4%)	26 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.5%)	73.2	256^th of 1005 public elementary schools	74.5%		62.9	375^th of 1011 public elementary schools	62.9%	119	43.0	49.5			46.4	60.2	69.3			65.0	51.5		51.5		$10,187	$845	$9,343
Morristown Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	307 W Main St.	Morristown	46161	Shelby County	Shelby Eastern Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 763-6648	338	21	16.0	44.4%	324 (95.9%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	36.7	660^th of 1005 public elementary schools	34.3%		48.5	541^st of 1011 public elementary schools	46.5%	119	38.6	21.4	27.1		28.4	40.9	21.4	43.8		34.5	32.1		32.1	41.7	$10,399	$915	$9,484
Arlington Elementary School	Public	K-6	7178 US Hwy 52	Arlington	46104	Rush County	Rush County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 663-2416	106	15	7.0	47.2%	100 (94.3%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.8%)	67	319^th of 1005 public elementary schools	68.3%		57.8	440^th of 1011 public elementary schools	56.5%	121	37.5	57.1	42.9	57.1	50.0	68.8	52.4	42.9	33.3	48.6	47.6	42.9	45.2	42.9	$15,216	$2,014	$13,202
Clark Elementary School	Public	K-5	Cr 700 N & 575 E	Franklin	46131	Johnson County	Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 535-8503	440	34	13.0	58.2%	172 (39.1%)	46 (10.5%)	23 (5.2%)	177 (40.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.3%)	58.5	424^th of 1005 public elementary schools	57.8%		64.7	357^th of 1011 public elementary schools	64.7%	67	44.2	35.9	46.3		41.9	62.3	57.1	34.9		52.3	37.7		37.7	37.9	$12,038	$778	$11,260
Brandywine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	413 E 400 S	Greenfield	46140	Hancock County	New Palestine Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 462-7396	338	24	14.0	25.7%	281 (83.1%)	20 (5.9%)	11 (3.3%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	87.9	106^th of 1005 public elementary schools	89.5%		83.5	145^th of 1011 public elementary schools	85.7%	39	59.5	58.6			59.0	73.0	75.7			74.3	58.6		58.6		$11,866	$444	$11,422

Frequently Asked Questions about Coulston Elementary School

How many students attend Coulston Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Coulston Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Coulston Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Coulston Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shelbyville Middle School
High : Shelbyville Senior High School

What district is Coulston Elementary School in?

Shelbyville Central Schools

Is Coulston Elementary School a good school?

Coulston Elementary School ranks 674^th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Coulston Elementary School?

Students at Coulston Elementary School are 65% White, 24% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% African American.

Rate Coulston Elementary School!

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Schools in Shelbyville, 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.