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GreatSchools Rating

Jimtown High School

Public | 9-12 | 601 students

Last modified
Community Rating

4 stars

Community Rating by Year
2013:
No new ratings
2012:
Based on 1 rating
2011:
Based on 3 ratings
2010:
Based on 2 ratings

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15 reviews of this school


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Posted March 7, 2012

I do have to say that this school puts a lot of money into the football team. The choir has to be self funded and so does the band. But I wouldn't trade my experience here for nothing. I have mostly great teachers and some not so great teachers but all balance each other out, I know who to talk to if I need help and the teachers that are there to help actually take the time to talk to you. My only big complaint is that when you go to the office there's only one nice lady in there, the nurse is half decent and I've never taken the time to talk to the consulors. Overall though Jimtown is better than a lot of schools in the area.
—Submitted by a student


Posted October 21, 2011

Mr. Dean and Mr. Ziegler are the best Principal's (and people) that I have ever been around. The school truly works very hard to make the place a great place for kids to grow up. Sure...like any school there are some teachers that are not the greatest, but if you do your work, and care you will do great and go far.
—Submitted by a student


Posted January 22, 2011

We decided to come to Jimtown to get away from the So. Bend Schools. The first few years were pretty good in the Intermediate and Jr. High but when my kids got to the High School it was a different story. Sure, it has a small town feel, but unless you have a kid in sports or you grew up in Jimtown you are an outcast. As far as the teachers they are pretty good. There are a few teachers that need to retire because they don't really care about the kids anymore. It is well known who these teachers are and ALL the parents complain about them but nothing is never done. The principal is a nice guy but really doesn't have any backbone to get things done. As far as the High School students there is a lot of drinking and smoking going on even with the athletes so that is pretty disappointing. My kids liked the school when we first got here because there was so much violence at the South Bend Schools. I have a child graduating this year and my other child wants to transfer to another school next year.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted January 10, 2011

This school is by no means the best school. But it is the best your going to find in the metropolitan area. This school is tucked under elkhart community, north ridge, concord, Penn, & Mishawaka. But at these schools, you become what no student wants to be... A NUMBER! At jimtown, teachers actually know who you are. will work with your kids, if your kids will meet them half way, and the students are usually friendly. You arent a number, YOU HAVE A NAME, and are known by it. You have to be carefull though, just like any school, there is drama. And some of our teachers, who are coaches, are really only here for their coaching positions. They are still solid enough at their teaching positions. Athletically, we have multiple championships, and our teams are regularly state contenders. at least conference champions. I would advise any parent to consider this school as the school of their child.
—Submitted by a student


Posted October 13, 2010

i tried this school at the beginning of my freshman year and i transfered to concord highschool for my sophmore year and my grades had decreased significantly....the algerbra class i had at jimtown had helped me so much i was thinking about taking my first hornors class but like i said i had transfered and when i did....lets just say i had to do merit (a credit recovery school) for the rest of my sophmore year
—Submitted by a student


Posted June 23, 2010

I like the school because it is small enough that I can name every person in my grade AND actually know them a bit where at bigger schools some students won't meet each other until they have their graduation. But, unfortunately, the school pays next to no attention to anything EXCEPT sports(and all the sports are nothing compared to football). The academics at our school are something to laugh at. Those few students who are smart enough to do well in life suffer horribly when the school refuses to pay for things such as transportation to academic competitions, but jump at the chance to get the football team somewhere. Don't get me wrong I love that our school loves sports and and puts a lot of emphasis on them, BUT we need to put the same emphasis on academics.
—Submitted by a student


Posted March 28, 2008

I love going to Jimtown the sports are amazing!!!! the teachers do their personal best, they give 110% on bad days and on good days it's even better!
—Submitted by a student


Posted December 4, 2007

Im a 2007 alumni. I'm glad I didn't go to any other area school. The athletic experience of going to Jimtown was amazing, and the jimtown community itself a great place to grow up in. We never had a problem with drugs or fights, and the academic programs did a great job of preparing me for college. They did a great job!


Posted October 19, 2007

I have two students at Jimtown schools and it has been nothing but a great experience. We have a very low amount of behavioral issues which is so very important to raising children in today's world! Go Jimtown staff! You are doing a wonderful job with the variety of students & parents you work with on a daily basis! My children are successful in part because of their parents, in part because of themselves, and in part because of you! Thank You!
—Submitted by a parent


Posted October 17, 2007

I graduated from Jimtown five years ago. I was only impressed with a handful of teachers who helped you strive to make something of yourself in life. Other than that, probably half of the teachers didn't care much about the growth of their students, some of which were coaches of the various sports teams, so sometimes it seemed like they were merely teaching a class so they could be a coach. Higher emphasis was given on sports than academics to several teachers.
—Submitted by a former student


Posted August 5, 2005

Our son has done well at this high school. He gets feedback from his teachers to help him with his studies and if he needs help he is able to freely ask the teachers and not be belittled about the question but encouraged to try the suggestions. He is also involved in the sports programs and enjoys going to all of the games. Thanks to all of the staff at Jimtown.
—Submitted by a teacher


Posted May 31, 2005

This is a very good school. There are focused on academics as well as extra-curricular activities. The community is very supportive off all extra-curricular activites. Many students have went to this school system all of their school years and they are a very close knit set of students that support everyone. I wouldn't want my children to attend any other school system.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted December 6, 2004

The school is alright, not to good. The principal and company are way to harsh on the students for stupid things, and there are some horrible teachers who need to be let go. There really aren't enough extra-curricular activities for the students to get involved in, it's good they send out grade reports so often though.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted November 22, 2004

Mr. Trosper is an excellent principal. Many of the teachers are excellent, but a few are not, and miss more classes than the students, but they're in a union, so not much can be done. With the new auditorium, there is need for a real drama program. There is a lot of emphasis on sports, especially football.
—Submitted by a former student


Posted October 23, 2004

Great school with balance of academics and extra-curricular activities. Lots of kids participate in lots of activities. Principal and Assistant Principal are great guys who really care about kids.
—Submitted by a former student


Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.
Algebra I

The state average for Algebra I was 70% in 2012.

37 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
32%

2011

 
 
44%

2010

 
 
60%
Biology I

The state average for Biology I was 46% in 2012.

138 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
44%

2011

 
 
38%

2010

 
 
41%
English

The state average for English was 78% in 2012.

167 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
68%

2011

 
 
76%

2010

 
 
71%
Scale: % passing

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Indiana used the End-of-Course (ECA) assessment to test students in middle and high school in Algebra I, Biology I, and English 10. The ECA is a criterion-referenced assessment developed specifically for students completing their instruction in Algebra I, Biology I, or English 10. The goal is for all students to score at the passing level on the test.

See Indiana's state standards

Source: Indiana Department of Education

  • In 2011-2012, this school received a grade of "B".
  • In 2010-2011, this school received a grade of "C".
  • In 2009-2010, this school received a grade of "D".

About the tests


Indiana uses the A through F School Grading System to assess the overall performance of a school. For the 2011-2012 school year, schools were graded based on performance and participation levels in state standardized tests and student growth using the Indiana Growth Model. In addition, high schools were graded on four-year (on-time) graduation rates and college and career readiness indicators including Advanced Placment exam results and industry certification exam results.

See Indiana's state standards

Source: Indiana Department of Education

GreatSchools Rating

What makes up this rating?

Academic rating
4 / 10
Climate rating
Not available

This school's GreatSchools Rating is based on academics (90%) and climate (10%). The academic rating measures students' test scores, academic growth and college readiness. The climate rating measures safety, cleanliness, parent involvement and more.

Learn more about our methodology

What is the new GreatSchools Rating?

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Our rating (from 1 to 10) reflects a school's overall performance. The higher the rating, the more likely the school will prepare your child for the future, so choose an above-average school (8-10) if possible. For average schools (4-7), do careful research and look for evidence that the school has high-quality programs. For below-average schools (1-3), take caution; a low-performing school may not provide the instruction or environment your child needs to learn, and you may need to supplement classroom lessons at home.

Academic rating

The academic rating is made up of equally-weighted parts: students' test scores, their academic growth (for elementary and middle schools) and their readiness for college (for high schools). The graphs below compare this school's results in each area to other schools in the city and state. Growth and college readiness ratings are coming soon, pending publication of 2012 data.
Overall academic rating

4

Average

Test score rating 2012*
This school
City
State
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Learn more about this school's test scores »

College readiness rating 2011***
This school
City
State
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
This school
Percent of graduates taking SAT: 52%
Average Composite SAT score: 903

*Test scores are based on 2012 ISTEP and ECA results from the state of Indiana.

***This rating is based on the average SAT scores of students that graduated in 2011. ACT scores were used if more students took that test. Data is provided by the Indiana Department of Education.

Climate ratings

Climate rating for this school is not yet available.

Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school State average
White 91% 73%
Black 3% 12%
Hispanic 3% 8%
Multiracial 2% 4%
American Indian N/A 0%
Asian 0% 2%
Native Hawaiin or Pacific Islander N/A 0%
Source: IN Dept. of Education, 2010-2011

Student subgroups

  This school District averageState average
Students participating in free or reduced-price lunch program 32%N/A47%
Special education 13%N/A15%
English learners 0%N/A5%
Source: IN Dept. of Education, 2010-2011

Student-teacher ratio

  This school District averageState average
Students per FTE teacher 20N/A17
Source: NCES, 2008-2009
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

59021 Cr 3 S
Elkhart, IN 46517
Website: Click here
Phone: (574) 295-2343

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