Summary:
ZIP code 46017 in Anderson, Indiana, is served by exactly one public school: Valley Grove Elementary School, a PK–5 building with 485 students in Anderson Community School Corp. Because it is the only school in the zip, there is no local comparison to make — families here attend Valley Grove through 5th grade and then leave the boundary for middle and high school.
The clearest bright spot is the 4th grade. Fourth graders scored 46.15% proficient in math, the highest single result in the data and within about 6 points of the state, plus 32.31% in ELA. Science is the strongest subject overall at 32.31%, more than 10 points above the district. Valley Grove exceeds its district in 12 of 15 school-versus-district comparisons, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 25.3% — roughly one in four students — is better than the district's 30.9%, though still about 1.5 times the state rate.
The concerns are real: 3rd grade math sits at 9.52%, the only measure where the school falls meaningfully below its own district, and 5th grade is weak in ELA, math, and social studies. Valley Grove has never earned more than 1 star and ranked in the 20th percentile statewide in 2025–2026, up from the 11th two years earlier. About 76.49% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, per-student spending is $15,041, and the student–teacher ratio is a favorable 13.3:1. That combination — solid funding and small classes alongside bottom-quintile proficiency — points to attendance and instructional effectiveness, not resources, as the areas to watch.
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