By Heather Lusk
Zionsville Community Schools was ranked third in the state for excellence by Niche.com, a website that provides report cards, rankings and reviews for colleges and schools across the U.S.
The 2019 school rankings are based on a variety of factors such as academics, health and safety, parent surveys, teachers, sports and diversity. The academics proficiency score is weighted to be half of the overall grade.
ZCS received A rankings in most categories but fell short in diversity, for which the school received a C-. Minority enrollment at ZCS is estimated to be 12 percent of the student body, significantly less than the state average of 31 percent.
West Lafayette Community School Corp. and Carmel Clay Schools ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively. Hamilton Southeastern School District and Southwest Allen County Schools are fourth and fifth, respectively.
Niche.com also ranked Zionsville teachers as second-best in the state, behind West Lafayette. Zionsville’s average graduation rate is 98 percent with an average SAT score of 1,290 and average ACT of 29. Average reading proficiency in the district is 85 percent and math proficiency is 79 percent.
Data for the rankings are from the U.S. Dept. of Education and self-reported by school districts. The entire list of ranked districts can be found at niche.com/k12/search/best-school-districts/s/indiana/.
