Lancaster Central School

Q: Is Lancaster Central School a good school?

Lancaster Central School ranks 271 st of 1010 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Lancaster Central School is an elementary school located in Bluffton, Indiana, serving 544 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Norwell Community Schools district, which is ranked 57 out of 381 districts in Indiana and has a 4-star rating.

Lancaster Central School stands out for its strong academic performance, consistently ranking between 174 and 430 out of over 1,000 Indiana elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of that time. The school's students outperform the state and district averages in both English Language Arts and Math ILEARN assessments, with 58.21% of students proficient or better in ILEARN Math, compared to 51.87% for the Norwell Community Schools district. Additionally, Lancaster Central School has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 7.2% to 9.6% over the past three school years, lower than nearby schools like Maplewood Elementary (21.9%) and Waynedale Elementary (28.7%).

One notable difference between Lancaster Central School and some nearby schools is the racial makeup and socioeconomic status of the student population. Lancaster Central School has a significantly higher percentage of white students (90.26%) compared to the state and nearby schools, and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (37.13%) compared to schools like Maplewood Elementary (74.36%) and Waynedale Elementary (74.15%). These factors may contribute to the school's stronger academic performance, highlighting the potential impact of socioeconomic and attendance factors on student outcomes.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

3240 E 300 N
Bluffton, IN 46714

(260) 565-3135

District: Norwell Community Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
271^st of 1,010 Indiana Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,428

Students who attend Lancaster Central School usually attend:

Middle:	Norwell Middle School
High:	Norwell High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.4

Number of students: 542

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.5%

Hispanic:

7.4%

Two or more races:

3.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.9%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Lancaster Central School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Lancaster Central School ranks better than 73.2% of elementary schools in Indiana. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 71.97. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (87.5%), Hispanic (7.4%), two or more races (3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Lancaster Central School is 15.4. (See more...)

Compare Lancaster Central School employs 35 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Lancaster Central School is $9,428.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Lancaster Central School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Norwell Community Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Norwell Community Schools 59^th of 381 Indiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Lancaster Central School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IN State Percentile
2005	50.22	544^th	959	43.3%
2006	61.11	399^th	961	58.5%
2007	59.18	445^th	985	54.8%
2008	72.18	232^nd	996	76.7%
2009	68.83	313^th	1003	68.8%
2010	82.12	109^th	1009	89.2%
2011	79.39	139^th	1025	86.4%
2012	78.84	162^nd	1015	84.0%
2013	78.06	166^th	1035	84.0%
2014	75.11	200^th	1036	80.7%
2015	61.86	430^th	1040	58.7%
2016	78.77	174^th	1046	83.4%
2017	77.14	194^th	1033	81.2%
2018	77.94	190^th	1027	81.5%
2019	66.52	344^th	1031	66.6%
2021	71.78	279^th	1016	72.5%
2022	69.77	306^th	1020	70.0%
2023	65.57	353^rd	1016	65.3%
2024	71.97	271^st	1010	73.2%

See the entire list of Indiana Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Indiana Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

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Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Lancaster Central School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	623	1	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	624
1989	623	2	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	628
1990	621	2	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	623
1991	640	0	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	643
1992	599	0	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	602
1993	598	2	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	603
1994	570	0	3	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	576
1995	620	0	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	622
1996	620	0	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	622
1997	583	2	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	1	589
1998	585	2	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	587
1999	589	1	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	595
2000	589	1	0	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	603
2001	567	2	3	16	0	n/a	n/a	0	588
2002	559	0	2	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	571
2003	559	0	2	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	571
2004	559	0	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	573
2005	552	0	7	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	572
2006	523	0	5	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	542
2007	503	0	5	22	0	n/a	n/a	12	542
2008	494	0	6	15	1	n/a	n/a	7	523
2009	524	0	8	18	2	n/a	n/a	7	559
2010	519	2	9	14	2	n/a	n/a	4	550
2011	515	2	11	14	5	0	9	0	556
2012	516	0	10	21	4	0	13	0	564
2013	482	3	8	18	3	0	12	0	526
2014	479	1	5	16	2	0	12	0	515
2015	456	1	7	16	2	0	14	0	496
2016	468	2	13	29	2	0	10	0	524
2017	482	3	11	30	2	0	12	0	540
2018	469	1	12	28	1	1	15	0	527
2019	497	1	11	29	2	0	15	0	555
2020	491	2	11	27	2	0	16	0	549
2021	482	3	8	23	1	0	19	0	536
2022	502	7	3	31	1	0	19	0	563
2023	491	7	3	24	1	1	17	0	544
2024	474	8	4	40	0	0	16	0	542

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Lancaster Central School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	624	31.3	19.9	9.1
1989	628	31.3	20.0	5.6
1990	623	32.8	18.9	6.1
1991	643	32.8	19.6	5.6
1992	602	30.5	19.7	11.5
1993	603	29.5	20.4	12.3
1994	576	29.0	19.9	12.2
1995	622	30.5	20.4	11.1
1996	622	30.5	20.4	11.1
1997	589	30.0	19.6	13.4
1998	587	30.0	19.6	13.5
1999	595	30.0	19.8	21.8
2000	603	30.0	20.1	23.5
2001	588	29.0	20.3	22.1
2002	571	30.0	19.0	23.8
2003	571	30.0	19.0	23.8
2004	573	30.3	18.9	24.8
2005	572	31.0	18.5	28.5
2006	542	31.5	17.2	31.2
2007	542	n/a	n/a	34.7
2008	523	38.2	13.7	31
2009	559	38.5	14.5	32.4
2010	550	32.7	16.7	34.8
2011	556	26.3	21.0	32.9
2012	564	33.2	16.9	36.9
2013	526	29.0	18.1	32.9
2014	515	28.0	18.3	31.1
2015	496	28.0	17.7	32.1
2016	524	30.0	17.4	33.4
2017	540	33.0	16.3	30.9
2018	527	32.0	16.4	32.3
2019	555	31.4	17.6	34.2
2020	549	30.3	18.0	31.9
2021	536	32.0	16.7	30.4
2022	563	34.5	16.3	31.8
2023	544	35.5	15.3	37.1
2024	542	35.0	15.4	36.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Lancaster Central School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	624	31.3	19.9	9.1
1989	628	31.3	20.0	5.6
1990	623	32.8	18.9	6.1
1991	643	32.8	19.6	5.6
1992	602	30.5	19.7	11.5
1993	603	29.5	20.4	12.3
1994	576	29.0	19.9	12.2
1995	622	30.5	20.4	11.1
1996	622	30.5	20.4	11.1
1997	589	30.0	19.6	13.4
1998	587	30.0	19.6	13.5
1999	595	30.0	19.8	21.8
2000	603	30.0	20.1	23.5
2001	588	29.0	20.3	22.1
2002	571	30.0	19.0	23.8
2003	571	30.0	19.0	23.8
2004	573	30.3	18.9	24.8
2005	572	31.0	18.5	28.5
2006	542	31.5	17.2	31.2
2007	542	n/a	n/a	34.7
2008	523	38.2	13.7	31
2009	559	38.5	14.5	32.4
2010	550	32.7	16.7	34.8
2011	556	26.3	21.0	32.9
2012	564	33.2	16.9	36.9
2013	526	29.0	18.1	32.9
2014	515	28.0	18.3	31.1
2015	496	28.0	17.7	32.1
2016	524	30.0	17.4	33.4
2017	540	33.0	16.3	30.9
2018	527	32.0	16.4	32.3
2019	555	31.4	17.6	34.2
2020	549	30.3	18.0	31.9
2021	536	32.0	16.7	30.4
2022	563	34.5	16.3	31.8
2023	544	35.5	15.3	37.1
2024	542	35.0	15.4	36.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Lancaster Central School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$318 (3.8%)	$8,016 (96.2%)	$8,334
2020	$263 (3.2%)	$7,881 (96.8%)	$8,144
2021	$559 (6.0%)	$8,811 (94.0%)	$9,370
2022	$757 (8.0%)	$8,671 (92.0%)	$9,428

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Lancaster Central School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 344^th of 1031 Elementary schools	Ranks 353^rd of 1016 Elementary schools	1.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Lancaster Central School)	56.3	40.2	16.1%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Norwell Community Schools)	45.1	43.8	1.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	46.3	39.7	6.6%
3rd Grade Math (Lancaster Central School)	66.7	55.2	11.5%
3rd Grade Math (Norwell Community Schools)	56.5	60	3.5%
3rd Grade Math (Indiana)	58.7	53.1	5.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Lancaster Central School)	42.5	48.4	5.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Norwell Community Schools)	46.2	47.4	1.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	45.8	40.3	5.5%
4th Grade Math (Lancaster Central School)	58.6	62.4	3.8%
4th Grade Math (Norwell Community Schools)	56.1	53.2	2.9%
4th Grade Math (Indiana)	54	48.8	5.2%
4th Grade Science (Lancaster Central School)	40.2	45.2	5%
4th Grade Science (Norwell Community Schools)	46.2	39.5	6.7%
4th Grade Science (Indiana)	46.3	37	9.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Lancaster Central School)	72.4	38.3	34.1%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Norwell Community Schools)	59.8	45.1	14.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	47.5	40.2	7.3%
5th Grade Math (Lancaster Central School)	60.5	54.3	6.2%
5th Grade Math (Norwell Community Schools)	55.3	55.5	0.2%
5th Grade Math (Indiana)	47.8	41.1	6.7%
5th Grade Social Studies (Lancaster Central School)	53.9	36.2	17.7%
5th Grade Social Studies (Norwell Community Schools)	50.3	41.6	8.7%
5th Grade Social Studies (Indiana)	46	39.1	6.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	555	544	2%
African American	1	7	600%
American Indian	2	1	50%
Asian	11	3	72.7%
Hispanic	29	24	17.2%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	497	491	1.2%
Two or More Races	15	17	13.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	34.2%	37.1%	2.9%

Schools Near Lancaster Central School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2024)					ILEARN Math (2024)					ILEARN Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lancaster Central School	Public	PK, KG-5	3240 E 300 N	Bluffton	46714	Wells County	Norwell Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 565-3135	542	35	15.4	36.9%	474 (87.5%)	8 (1.5%)	40 (7.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)	72	271^st of 1010 public elementary schools	73.2%		65.6	353^rd of 1016 public elementary schools	65.3%	82	39.4	53.9	45.3		46.1	62.8	52.8	59.0		58.2	47.4	$9,428	$757	$8,671
Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1100 E Spring St	Bluffton	46714	Wells County	MSD Bluffton-Harrison	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 824-0333	750	53	14.1	52.4%	629 (83.9%)	19 (2.5%)	66 (8.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (4.5%)	46.9	560^th of 1010 public elementary schools	44.6%		48	559^th of 1016 public elementary schools	45.0%	1	28.3	39.4			33.5	53.1	43.3			48.5		$7,559	$824	$6,735
Ossian Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	213 S Jefferson	Ossian	46777	Wells County	Norwell Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 622-4179	568	38	14.9	39.4%	511 (90.0%)	7 (1.2%)	32 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	64.1	367^th of 1010 public elementary schools	63.7%		67.9	326^th of 1016 public elementary schools	67.9%	41	40.0	59.1	36.7		45.4	58.8	60.2	40.8		52.8	36.7	$9,767	$587	$9,180
Adams Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	222 W Washington St	Monroe	46772	Adams County	Adams Central Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 692-6629	635	46	13.9	29.1%	577 (90.9%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.5%)	59.8	417^th of 1010 public elementary schools	58.7%		59.9	418^th of 1016 public elementary schools	58.9%	1	37.1	45.7	32.4		38.3	62.9	56.4	43.1		53.7	38.2	$9,158	$1,784	$7,374
Bellmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 North Adams Drive	Decatur	46733	Adams County	North Adams Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 724-3633	684	49	13.9	55.4%	506 (74.0%)	26 (3.8%)	90 (13.2%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (8.2%)	43.4	592^nd of 1010 public elementary schools	41.4%		34.5	684^th of 1016 public elementary schools	32.7%	92	24.0	45.1	42.7		36.6	45.0	36.7	22.0		35.3	37.8	$10,994	$3,225	$7,769
Southern Wells Elementary School	Public	K-6	9120 S 300 W	Poneto	46781	Wells County	Southern Wells Com Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(765) 728-2121	499	28	17.8	54.9%	466 (93.4%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	51.6	507^th of 1010 public elementary schools	49.8%		56.5	470^th of 1016 public elementary schools	53.7%	37	26.9	40.3	40.0	35.5	35.6	43.6	44.2	47.1	39.5	43.5	38.6	$9,743	$561	$9,182
South Adams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1012 Starfire Way	Berne	46711	Adams County	South Adams Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 589-1101	647	44	14.6	45.3%	565 (87.3%)	3 (0.5%)	60 (9.3%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.7%)	66.3	342^nd of 1010 public elementary schools	66.1%		59.2	430^th of 1016 public elementary schools	57.7%	88	34.4	44.0	44.4		41.1	60.0	56.0	56.7		57.5	43.3	$10,870	$2,996	$7,874
Salamonie Elementary School	Public	K-5	1063 E 900 S	Warren	46792	Huntington County	Huntington County Com School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 468-3093	278	19	14.6	49.6%	259 (93.2%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.6%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	70.5	291^st of 1010 public elementary schools	71.2%		70.4	296^th of 1016 public elementary schools	70.9%	5	32.7	42.1	54.8		42.6	56.3	68.4	65.9		63.7	46.3	$10,427	$612	$9,815
Maplewood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2200 Maplewood Rd	Fort Wayne	46819	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 467-7150	481	34	13.9	73.4%	165 (34.3%)	146 (30.4%)	66 (13.7%)	52 (10.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (10.6%)	28.9	740^th of 1010 public elementary schools	26.7%		22.7	797^th of 1016 public elementary schools	21.6%	57	31.9	26.7	28.4		29.2	47.3	34.7	16.2		33.8	5.4	$10,442	$1,710	$8,732
Waynedale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7201 Elzey	Fort Wayne	46809	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 467-8820	374	25	15.2	69.8%	154 (41.2%)	84 (22.5%)	64 (17.1%)	28 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.5%)	31.4	716^th of 1010 public elementary schools	29.1%		32.7	701^st of 1016 public elementary schools	31.0%	15	29.8	31.0	34.6		31.9	38.3	24.1	30.8		30.6	21.2	$12,416	$1,985	$10,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Lancaster Central School

What is the racial makeup of Lancaster Central School?

Students at Lancaster Central School are 87% White, 7% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Lancaster Central School attend?

Students who attend Lancaster Central School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Norwell Middle School
High : Norwell High School

How many students attend Lancaster Central School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 542 students attended Lancaster Central School.

Is Lancaster Central School a good school?

Lancaster Central School ranks 271^st of 1010 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Lancaster Central School in?

Norwell Community Schools

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.