Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 47448

Zip code 47448 is home to one elementary school, Van Buren Elementary School, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Van Buren Elementary School, part of the Brown County School Corporation, educates 236 students and has a student-teacher ratio of 14:1, which is favorable for individualized attention. The school spends $12,502 per student, a significant amount that suggests ample resources. However, the school faces challenges with a chronic absenteeism rate of 17.8% and a substantial portion of students, 45.76%, qualifying for free or reduced lunch, indicating a significant level of socioeconomic need within the student population. Academically, the school shows considerable variability in proficiency rates across different subjects and grade levels. For instance, in the 2024-2025 school year, 3rd-grade ELA proficiency was 38.89%, much higher than 4th-grade ELA proficiency at 19.23%. Similarly, 5th-grade Math proficiency was 55%, compared to 4th-grade Math proficiency at 34.62%. This inconsistency is also evident when comparing the school to district and state averages, with Van Buren Elementary School's overall ELA proficiency of 29.76% in 2024-2025 falling below both the district and state averages. Conversely, in 4th-grade Math during the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency of 65.79% significantly surpassed both district and state averages.

The school's statewide ranking has fluctuated, with rankings of 321 out of 1016 in 2022-2023 (3 stars), 283 out of 1020 in 2021-2022 (4 stars), and 346 out of 1016 in 2020-2021 (3 stars). The high chronic absenteeism rate is a notable concern and may be a contributing factor to the observed academic performance, particularly in areas where proficiency is lower. Addressing absenteeism should be a priority to support student success. While the school benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio and substantial per-student spending, the inconsistent academic performance across grade levels and subjects, coupled with the high absenteeism rate, suggests that targeted interventions and support may be beneficial to improve overall student outcomes.