Montezuma Elementary School

Montezuma Elementary School is an intimate elementary campus in Montezuma, Indiana, run under Southwest Parke Com Sch Corp. The school hosts 213 students in grades pre-K through 6. That puts it 51% smaller than the typical public school in Indiana, which averages around 436 students.

Across the 3 schools in Southwest Parke Com Sch Corp (1,002 students total), Montezuma Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Montezuma Elementary School shows that the student body is overwhelmingly White (92%); the rest looks like 4% Hispanic. Compared to Parke County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Montezuma Elementary School has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 9.5:1. The state averages around 15.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 65% of students at Montezuma Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Parke County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Montezuma Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 29.7%, the actual is 26.3%, a residual of -3.4 points.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Parke County put median household income runs about $68,485, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. Across Parke County's 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,182 students), Montezuma Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Riverton Parke Jr-Sr High School, around 6.9 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 6 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. On composite proficiency, Montezuma Elementary School comes 7th of 7 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 37.9%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Five-year trend. Montezuma Elementary School's enrollment has declined 22% since 2018, when it stood at 272 (now 213). The Hispanic share of enrollment shrank from 10% to 4% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 9.5:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.