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South Newton Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
170th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 486 Indiana Middle Schools
Better than 65% of Indiana middle schools
Summary

South Newton Middle School is a 6–8 middle school in Kentland, Indiana, serving 191 students as part of the South Newton School Corp. In 2025–2026, it ranked 170th of 486 Indiana middle schools — the top 35% statewide — with a 3-star rating, up from the 41st percentile and 2 stars in 2022–2023. That is a notable improvement, and it puts the school ahead of its own district's ranking (158th of 374 districts, 58th percentile, 3 stars). The nearest comparison school in the data is Rensselaer Central Middle School, 15.64 miles away, which is larger (363 students) and higher-ranked (55th of 486, 89th percentile, 4 stars) within the higher-ranked Rensselaer Central School Corp.

Attendance is a clear strength. Chronic absenteeism fell from 30.6% in 2021–2022 to 10.7% in 2024–2025 — better than Rensselaer's 12.9% and well below Indiana's 16.7% — even though South Newton has a slightly higher share of students eligible for free or reduced lunch (46.6% vs. 42.15%). Classes are smaller too: 13.1 students per teacher versus 15.7 at Rensselaer. South Newton also spends less, $9,375 per student compared with $10,798, so it appears to do more with less structurally.

Test scores are where the gap shows. All-grade ELA proficiency is 43.37% (Rensselaer: 58.58%), math 36.75% (50.89%) and science 47.37% (57.69%). Grade-level results show real bright spots: 6th-grade math is 52.63%, above Indiana's 40.2% and Rensselaer's 50.48%; 8th-grade ELA is 51.02%, above the state's 44%; and 6th-grade science is 47.37%, above the state's 41.2%. The weak spots are 7th-grade math (31.67% vs. Indiana's 35.9% and Rensselaer's 65.25%), 8th-grade math (24.49% vs. 34.2%) and 6th/7th-grade ELA (38.6% and 41.67%). Since 2022–2023, ELA rose from 32.31% to 43.37% and math from 23.59% to 36.75%, and the math gap with Rensselaer narrowed, though the ELA gap widened.

191
Students ?
13.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,375
Per pupil spending ?
46.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 13100 S 50 E
       Kentland, IN  47951

(219) 474-5167

District: South Newton School Corp


Students who attend South Newton Middle School usually attend:

High:    South Newton Senior High School

Feeder schools for South Newton Middle School:

Elementary:    South Newton Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
82.2%
Hispanic:
16.8%
Pacific Islander:
0.5%
more
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At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 65th in 2026
Strengths
✓Above the Indiana median (65th percentile)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school41%
District avg42%
170th of 486
Indiana public middle schools ?
Top 35%▲ up 2 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
158th of 374South Newton 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIndiana percentileRating
202663.1170 of 48665.0%★★★☆☆
202555.0209 of 48056.5%★★★☆☆
202446.6264 of 49146.2%★★☆☆☆
202341.0288 of 48941.1%★★☆☆☆
202245.9270 of 49044.9%★★☆☆☆
202146.3263 of 48345.5%★★☆☆☆
201957.3212 of 47054.9%★★★☆☆
201866.0157 of 47366.8%★★★☆☆
201764.5166 of 47264.8%★★★☆☆
201663.6185 of 49462.6%★★★☆☆
201570.2131 of 48573.0%★★★★☆
201459.0225 of 47052.1%★★★☆☆
201367.6136 of 44469.4%★★★☆☆
201266.4145 of 44767.6%★★★☆☆
201159.3213 of 45152.8%★★★☆☆
201061.3180 of 42857.9%★★★☆☆
200953.1217 of 42348.7%★★☆☆☆
200846.1260 of 39233.7%★★☆☆☆
200747.4248 of 38235.1%★★☆☆☆
200653.8199 of 37546.9%★★☆☆☆
200563.2135 of 37063.5%★★★☆☆
200476.435 of 22284.2%★★★★☆
By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?
Science47%
English Language Arts43%
Math37%

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about South Newton Middle School

Students who attend South Newton Middle School usually go on to attend South Newton Senior High School

Students at South Newton Middle School are 82% White, 17% Hispanic.

South Newton Middle School ranks 170th of 486 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 191 students attended South Newton Middle School.

Rate South Newton Middle School!



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INIndiana Middle School Rankings

INIndiana District Rankings

Schools in Kentland, IN

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Latest Indiana data All new data »
2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresNewSep 25, 2026
2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025
2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 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.

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