Best Public Schools in Zip Code 47882

Zip code 47882 in Sullivan, Indiana, is served by three traditional public schools in the Southwest School Corporation — Sullivan Elementary School (PK–5, 627 students), Sullivan Middle School (6–8, 353 students), and Sullivan High School (9–12, 528 students) — together enrolling 1,508 students. The district is rated 2 stars and ranks 227th of 374 Indiana districts, but the three schools perform very differently.

Sullivan High School is the strongest overall: in 2025–2026 it ranks 146th of 415, at the 65th percentile with 3 stars, and its graduation rate is 94.1%, above the state’s 89.7%. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 11.2%, the lowest student-teacher ratio at 13.3, and the highest per-student spending at $12,989. Its SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing proficiency is 56.76%, above the state’s 51.9%, but SAT Mathematics is 18.92% versus the state’s 25.6%, and Biology EOC is 45.57%, below the district’s 55.08%. Sullivan Middle School has a striking Biology EOC score of 88% versus the district’s 55.08%, and it beats the district in all-grade ELA, math, and science, yet its rank has fallen from the 73rd to the 48th percentile and its chronic absenteeism is the highest at 16.4%. Sullivan Elementary School is the largest school but ranks lowest, at the 21st percentile with 1 star; its 2025–2026 grade-level scores are below the state, including 3rd grade ELA at 12.5% versus 40.8% and 4th grade math at 27% versus 52%.

For parents, the key pattern is that these schools are not performing alike. Attendance and resources do not tell the whole story: the high school has the best attendance and strongest overall outcomes, the middle school has the best science result but worsening rank and attendance, and the elementary school has relatively low absenteeism at 12.3% but widespread below-state proficiency. Free/reduced lunch rates are similar across all three, at about 49%–52%, so economic need alone does not explain the differences. The district’s 2-star rating masks a stronger high school, a middle school with mixed signals, and an elementary school facing significant academic challenges.