Summary:
ZIP code 46240 on the north side of Indianapolis has two elementary schools — Clearwater Elementary School (K–5, 750 students) and Nora Elementary School (PK–5, 544 students) — both part of MSD Washington Township, a district rated 3 stars and ranked 159th of 374 in Indiana. Together they serve about 1,294 elementary students. The district's chronic absenteeism rate is 16.4%, slightly below the state's 16.7%.
Clearwater Elementary School is the stronger performer by a wide margin: 4 stars, ranked 152nd of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools, placing it in the 85th percentile. It beats district averages in every subject and grade tested, with all-grade math at 64.54% and 3rd-grade math at 70.8% — both well above district and state. Its 5th-grade social studies score of 61.24% and 4th-grade science score of 59.52% are also strong. Chronic absenteeism is 13.3%, the lower of the two schools, even though it spends less per student ($12,684) and has larger classes (19.2 students per teacher) than Nora.
Nora Elementary School is rated 2 stars and ranks 556th of 1,015 (45th percentile), but it is improving quickly — up 138 rank positions in one year, with gains of +7.11 points in ELA, +8.52 in math, and +16.25 in 5th-grade social studies. Its 5th grade performs at or above district and state levels, and its 14.3% chronic absenteeism is also below district and state. The concern is the early grades: 3rd-grade ELA (29.81%) and math (40.38%) sit roughly 11 points below state. Nora also has more students eligible for free/reduced lunch (53.12% vs. 39.6%) — useful context, since higher poverty often tracks with lower test scores.
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