Cowan High School

Summary:

Cowan High School is a public high school located in Muncie, Indiana, serving grades 7-12 with a student population of 362. The school is part of the Cowan Community School Corporation, which is ranked 143 out of 381 school districts in Indiana and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cowan High School has a significantly higher percentage of white students (91.44% in 2022-2023) compared to the surrounding schools, which have more diverse student populations. The school has consistently high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 90.5% to 98.3% over the past five years, which are above the state average. However, Cowan High School has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 23.0% in recent years, which is higher than the state average. The school's test scores in ILEARN and SAT assessments are generally lower than the state and district averages, particularly in mathematics, with only 24.37% of students proficient or better in ILEARN Math in 2023-2024, compared to 43.85% for the Cowan Community School Corporation. Additionally, Cowan High School has a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 46.13% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023.

Compared to the nearby high schools, such as Wes-Del Middle/Senior High School and Delta High School, Cowan High School generally performs worse on academic metrics like test scores and graduation rates, but better on measures of socioeconomic status and chronic absenteeism. The nearby Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities is a highly selective public high school that serves as an outlier, with exceptional academic performance and a very low student-teacher ratio.


Detail:

Public 7-12

 9401 S Nottingham
       Muncie, IN  47302


(765) 289-7128

District: Cowan Community School Corp

SchoolDigger Rank:
242nd of 431 Indiana High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,638 Help


Feeder schools for Cowan High School:

Elementary:    Cowan Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  14.7 Help
Number of students:  362

Racial breakdown:

White:
91.4%
Hispanic:
4.4%
Two or more races:
3.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  46.1% Help


 See top rated Indiana high schools

 Compare Cowan High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Cowan High School ranks better than 56.7% of middle schools in Indiana. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 55.65. (See more...)
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Compare Details Cowan High School ranks worse than 56.1% of high schools in Indiana. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 43.69. (See more...)
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The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Cowan High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high 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
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), two or more races (3%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 46.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cowan High School is 14.7. (See more...)
Help
Compare Cowan High School employs 24.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cowan High School is $9,638.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cowan High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cowan High School 210th of 485 Indiana public middle schools. (See Cowan High School in the ranking list.)
SchoolDigger ranks Cowan High School 242nd of 431 Indiana public high schools. (See Cowan High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Cowan Community School Corp:

SchoolDigger ranks Cowan Community School Corp 164th of 381 Indiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)


What do you think?

Your rating for Cowan High School?

Rank History for Cowan High School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 68.47 98th 370 73.5%
2006 78.16 55th 375 85.3%
2007 80.55 40th 382 89.5%
2008 83.95 30th 392 92.3%
2009 71.53 109th 423 74.2%
2010 56.47 214th 428 50.0%
2011 41.65 327th 451 27.5%
2012 49.38 269th 447 39.8%
2013 42.56 305th 444 31.3%
2014 56.93 242nd 470 48.5%
2015 55.82 225th 485 53.6%
2016 51.29 279th 494 43.5%
2017 67.75 143rd 472 69.7%
2018 67.22 152nd 473 67.9%
2019 40.52 296th 470 37.0%
2021 44.04 278th 483 42.4%
2022 40.65 298th 490 39.2%
2023 39.62 298th 489 39.1%
2024 55.65 210th 485 56.7%
See the entire list of Indiana High School Rankings!

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

Rank History for Cowan High School

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Compare

Rank History for all high school students at Cowan High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 75.70 54th 349 84.5%
2006 77.25 53rd 349 84.8%
2007 77.79 60th 354 83.1%
2008 69.85 89th 360 75.3%
2009 67.37 128th 364 64.8%
2010 69.70 39th 362 89.2%
2011 48.17 171st 364 53.0%
2012 48.65 171st 373 54.2%
2013 65.25 51st 353 85.6%
2014 64.62 75th 379 80.2%
2015 54.64 159th 400 60.3%
2016 47.52 226th 394 42.6%
2017 68.40 93rd 380 75.5%
2018 76.22 62nd 385 83.9%
2019 80.61 38th 389 90.2%
2021 50.23 174th 388 55.2%
2022 76.23 83rd 409 79.7%
2023 45.31 210th 398 47.2%
2024 43.69 242nd 431 43.9%
See the entire list of Indiana High School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Cowan High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 38.34 235th 379 38.0%
2024 53.25 148th 377 60.7%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Cowan High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 30.01 284th 388 26.8%
2024 44.55 211th 392 46.2%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Cowan High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 56.60 133rd 383 65.3%
2024 38.21 243rd 392 38.0%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Cowan High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 73.83 80th 378 78.8%
2023 36.91 231st 375 38.4%
2024 36.01 249th 381 34.6%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for White Students!

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

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Cowan High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 







Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Thursday, December 18, 2014

Open Quote This school is above average specially the choir they are reading at levels that collage students can't read. That's amazing!!!!! that Tate school can do something amazing as that and my classmate and my self go in and work hard everyday with out teacher we would be able to have choir so thank you Mrs. Camp you are the best teacher ever and we have so many smart people in our school we won volleyball championship 2 years ago. There a bunch of athletic people and things you can do this school is very above average. We can do such amazing things if we work hard enough. And are lunches are very good some days. We mostly have a variety of foods and a lot of extra things you can buy. And are variety show oh my god people are so talented this girl last year she made the evening your awesome her voice songs like an angel but like I said this school is above average like way above average:) Close Quote



Enrollment information for Cowan High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 372 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 373
1989 329 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 329
1990 301 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 301
1991 294 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 294
1992 279 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 279
1993 299 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 299
1994 295 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 295
1995 300 0 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 301
1996 300 0 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 301
1997 298 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 298
1998 282 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 282
1999 276 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 276
2000 282 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 282
2001 298 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 298
2002 299 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 299
2003 299 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 299
2004 322 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 322
2005 315 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 315
2006 309 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 310
2007 316 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a 1 318
2008 337 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a 2 341
2009 314 1 0 2 0 n/a n/a 4 321
2010 325 2 1 2 0 n/a n/a 4 334
2011 330 2 1 2 0 0 5 0 340
2012 334 4 2 1 0 0 5 0 346
2013 332 3 3 1 0 0 5 0 344
2014 356 1 1 1 0 0 5 0 364
2015 365 0 1 3 0 0 5 0 374
2016 340 1 1 3 0 0 6 0 351
2017 345 2 2 7 0 0 9 0 365
2018 352 5 1 9 0 0 7 0 374
2019 354 3 1 8 0 0 6 0 372
2020 347 4 1 9 0 0 9 0 370
2021 348 4 1 13 0 0 12 0 378
2022 343 6 1 15 0 0 14 0 379
2023 331 4 0 16 0 0 11 0 362

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 Cowan High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 373 19.1 19.5 2.9
1989 329 23.9 13.7 3.6
1990 301 19.2 15.6 5.3
1991 294 19.9 14.7 6.5
1992 279 20.3 13.7 5
1993 299 20.6 14.5 4
1994 295 20.9 14.1 6.4
1995 301 20.6 14.6 4.3
1996 301 20.6 14.6 4.3
1997 298 19.5 15.3 3.7
1998 282 20.1 14.0 2.5
1999 276 19.9 13.9 6.9
2000 282 20.1 14.0 3.5
2001 298 20.6 14.5 4.7
2002 299 20.4 14.7 6
2003 299 20.4 14.7 6
2004 322 20.4 15.8 8.1
2005 315 20.8 15.1 10.8
2006 310 20.3 15.3 15.2
2007 318 n/a n/a 16.7
2008 341 19.7 17.3 19.8
2009 321 20.9 15.4 20.8
2010 334 20.6 16.2 25.2
2011 340 20.1 16.8 26.2
2012 346 22.0 15.7 28
2013 344 23.0 14.9 24.4
2014 364 23.0 15.8 27.7
2015 374 23.0 16.2 28.9
2016 351 23.0 15.2 32.5
2017 365 24.0 15.2 35.3
2018 374 24.0 15.5 36.9
2019 372 24.0 15.4 39
2020 370 25.0 14.7 41.9
2021 378 26.0 14.5 42.6
2022 379 25.5 14.8 43.5
2023 362 24.5 14.7 46.1

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 Cowan High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 373 19.1 19.5 2.9
1989 329 23.9 13.7 3.6
1990 301 19.2 15.6 5.3
1991 294 19.9 14.7 6.5
1992 279 20.3 13.7 5
1993 299 20.6 14.5 4
1994 295 20.9 14.1 6.4
1995 301 20.6 14.6 4.3
1996 301 20.6 14.6 4.3
1997 298 19.5 15.3 3.7
1998 282 20.1 14.0 2.5
1999 276 19.9 13.9 6.9
2000 282 20.1 14.0 3.5
2001 298 20.6 14.5 4.7
2002 299 20.4 14.7 6
2003 299 20.4 14.7 6
2004 322 20.4 15.8 8.1
2005 315 20.8 15.1 10.8
2006 310 20.3 15.3 15.2
2007 318 n/a n/a 16.7
2008 341 19.7 17.3 19.8
2009 321 20.9 15.4 20.8
2010 334 20.6 16.2 25.2
2011 340 20.1 16.8 26.2
2012 346 22.0 15.7 28
2013 344 23.0 14.9 24.4
2014 364 23.0 15.8 27.7
2015 374 23.0 16.2 28.9
2016 351 23.0 15.2 32.5
2017 365 24.0 15.2 35.3
2018 374 24.0 15.5 36.9
2019 372 24.0 15.4 39
2020 370 25.0 14.7 41.9
2021 378 26.0 14.5 42.6
2022 379 25.5 14.8 43.5
2023 362 24.5 14.7 46.1

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 Cowan High School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $279 (3.1%) $8,580 (96.9%) $8,859
2020 $287 (3.1%) $8,920 (96.9%) $9,207
2021 $535 (5.6%) $9,072 (94.4%) $9,607
2022 $333 (3.5%) $9,305 (96.5%) $9,638

Data source: Indiana Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cowan High 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 296th of 470 Middle schoolsRanks 298th of 489 Middle schools
 2%
Ranks 38th of 389 High schoolsRanks 210th of 398 High schools
 43%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (Cowan High School)40.333.3
 7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Cowan Community School Corp)40.333.3
 7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)49.739.5
 10.2%
7th Grade Math (Cowan High School)33.328.3
 5%
   7th Grade Math (Cowan Community School Corp)33.328.3
 5%
   7th Grade Math (Indiana)4232.9
 9.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Cowan High School)45.530.2
 15.3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Cowan Community School Corp)45.530.2
 15.3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)50.743.8
 6.9%
8th Grade Math (Cowan High School)31.819.1
 12.8%
   8th Grade Math (Cowan Community School Corp)31.819.1
 12.8%
   8th Grade Math (Indiana)3831.4
 6.6%
End of Course Biology (Cowan High School)54.814.6
 40.3%
   End of Course Biology (Cowan Community School Corp)54.814.6
 40.3%
   End of Course Biology (Indiana)38.629
 9.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students372362
 2.7%
African American34
 33.3%
American Indian00
Asian10
 100%
Hispanic816
 100%
Pacific Islander00
White354331
 6.5%
Two or More Races611
 83.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients39%46.1%
 7.2%


Schools Near Cowan High School









Frequently Asked Questions about Cowan High School

Cowan High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cowan Elementary School

In the 2022-23 school year, 362 students attended Cowan High School.

Cowan High School ranks 242nd of 431 Indiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Cowan High School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.


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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.





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