(ANGOLA) - Schools across Steuben, DeKalb, LaGrange and Noble counties turned in strong third-grade reading scores, with several local buildings landing at or near Indiana's top IREAD recognition benchmark.
Leading the local area was James R. Watson Elementary in DeKalb County at 97.5 percent, the highest pass rate in the four-county regional pull.
Topeka Elementary in LaGrange County also reached the state's 95 percent honor mark, while several other area schools finished just below it.
Among the strongest local scores:
- James R. Watson Elementary (DeKalb): 97.5%
- Topeka Elementary (LaGrange): 95.0%
- Shipshewana-Scott (LaGrange): 94.8%
- Fremont Elementary (Steuben): 94.5%
- Pleasant Lake Montessori (Steuben): 94.4%
- Meadowview Elementary (LaGrange): 93.5%
- Riverdale Elementary (DeKalb): 93.5%
- McKenney-Harrison (DeKalb): 93.4%
- Ryan Park Elementary (Steuben): 92.3%
- Hamilton Community Elementary (Steuben): 92.3%
- Prairie Heights Elementary (LaGrange): 90.8%
Additional area schools also posted solid results:
- Hendry Park Elementary (Steuben): 88.3%
- Carlin Park Elementary (Steuben): 88.4%
- Waterloo Elementary (DeKalb): 87.0%
- Central Noble Elementary (Noble): 85.5%
- Avilla Elementary (Noble): 85.5%
- West Noble Elementary (Noble): 85.5%
- Rome City Elementary (Noble): 88.5%
The local scores come as more than 400 Indiana schools statewide were recognized for reaching at least a 95 percent IREAD passage rate, highlighting continued statewide gains in early literacy.
For northeast Indiana, the broader regional results show multiple schools across all four counties clustering in the 90 percent range or higher, reinforcing a strong local reading picture even beyond the schools that hit the official recognition line.
IREAD measures whether Indiana students are reading proficiently by the end of third grade, one of the state's most closely watched academic benchmarks.