Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 47838

ZIP code 47838 has one middle school, Carlisle Middle School, serving grades 6–8 in Carlisle, Indiana, as part of Southwest School Corporation. It is a small school with 80 students, a student-teacher ratio of 11.2, 65% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and per-student spending of $11,828. Its SchoolDigger rank has slipped over three years, from 204 of 491 (58th percentile, 3 stars) in 2023–2024 to 261 of 486 (46th percentile, 2 stars) in 2025–2026. Even so, its 46th percentile still sits above the district’s 39th percentile (227 of 374, 2 stars).

Academically, ELA is the relative strength: All Grades ELA proficiency was 40% in 2025–2026, above the district’s 29.17%, and up from 38.16% the prior year. Sixth-grade ELA was 41.38%, essentially at the state’s 41.3%, while 7th-grade ELA was 38.1% versus the district’s 26.81% but below the state’s 41.7%. Math is the clearest weakness: All Grades Math was 23.53% versus the district’s 29.69%, with every available grade below both district and state—6th at 31.03% vs. 37.59% district and 40.2% state, 7th at 19.05% vs. 23.91% and 35.9%, and 8th at 20% vs. 26% and 34.2%. Science All Grades was 35.71% versus the district’s 33.85%, though it fell from 42.86%; 6th-grade Science was 35.71% versus the district’s 37.88% and the state’s 41.2%. Biology End-of-Course dropped from 72.73% in 2024–2025—above the district’s 58.41% and the state’s 45.6%—to 50% in 2025–2026, below the district’s 55.08%.

For parents, the most important takeaways are that this is a small, high-poverty school with a low student-teacher ratio and a mixed academic profile. Chronic absenteeism was 14.8% in 2024–2025, better than Indiana’s 16.7% but higher than the district’s 12.5%, so attendance is a relative opportunity. The ranking trend has weakened, moving from above median to slightly below median, but the school still outranks its district overall. Because enrollment is only 80, year-to-year test results can swing with small changes in the number of test-takers, so trends should be interpreted cautiously. Overall, ELA is a relative strength, math is the most persistent concern, and science and Biology EOC results have declined recently.