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James Cole Elementary School

Public Grades K-5
275th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools
Better than 73% of Indiana elementary schools
Summary

James Cole Elementary School is a public elementary school in Lafayette, Indiana, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Tippecanoe School Corporation. The school has consistently performed better than the state average on ILEARN assessments, with particularly strong 5th-grade proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math that exceed district and state averages.

However, James Cole Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 8.1% in 2021-2022 to 19.2% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the district's average. The school also has a growing population of economically disadvantaged students, with the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch increasing from 32.37% in 2021-2022 to 37.78% in 2023-2024. Despite these challenges, the school has seen an increase in per-student spending, which may contribute to its relatively strong academic performance.

Compared to nearby schools in the Tippecanoe School Corporation, Wyandotte Elementary and Mintonye Elementary have higher test scores, while James Cole Elementary generally performs better than Wea Ridge Elementary and Mayflower Mill Elementary. The schools with higher test scores also tend to have lower rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, suggesting a potential correlation between socioeconomic status and academic performance.

321
Students ?
16.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,692
Per pupil spending ?
31.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 6418 E 900 S
       Lafayette, IN  47909

(765) 523-2141

District: Tippecanoe School Corp


Students who attend James Cole Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Wainwright Middle School
High:    McCutcheon High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
86.6%
Hispanic:
10.6%
Asian:
1.2%
more
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 Compare James Cole Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Indiana average (52% vs 38% meeting standards)
Above the Indiana median (73rd percentile)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school52%
District avg49%
Indiana avg38%
275th of 1,005
Indiana public elementary schools ?
Top 27%▼ down 5 pts since 2015
From top 23% (2015) to top 27% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 11Elementary Schools in the Tippecanoe School Corp
77th of 380Tippecanoe 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
202571.1275 of 100572.6%★★★★☆
202463.8368 of 101163.6%★★★☆☆
202369.7307 of 101669.8%★★★☆☆
202272.1282 of 102072.4%★★★★☆
202172.8269 of 101673.5%★★★★☆
201981.0157 of 103184.8%★★★★☆
201869.4320 of 102768.8%★★★☆☆
201765.6380 of 103363.2%★★★☆☆
201660.6468 of 104655.3%★★★☆☆
201573.8237 of 104077.2%★★★★☆
201468.4337 of 103667.5%★★★☆☆
201362.4443 of 103557.2%★★★☆☆
201269.7288 of 101571.6%★★★★☆
201147.8651 of 102536.5%★★☆☆☆
201068.1332 of 100967.1%★★★☆☆
200949.2611 of 100339.1%★★☆☆☆
200871.5247 of 99675.2%★★★★☆
200771.4259 of 98573.7%★★★★☆
200664.5347 of 96163.9%★★★☆☆
200562.6366 of 95961.8%★★★☆☆
By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?
Social Studies57%+18 vs state
Math56%
Science55%
English Language Arts45%

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Frequently Asked Questions about James Cole Elementary School

Students at James Cole Elementary School are 87% White, 11% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Students who attend James Cole Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wainwright Middle School
High : McCutcheon High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 321 students attended James Cole Elementary School.

James Cole Elementary School ranks 275th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


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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.





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