Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (P-H-M) proudly shares the outstanding performance of its students on the Spring 2026 ILEARN assessment, as released by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). P-H-M students outperformed the state average again by 21.5 percentage points in English Language Arts (ELA) and 18.2 points in Mathematics. This achievement places P-H-M in the top 5% of public school corporations passing both ELA and math across Indiana (click here to see the charts below of scores broken down by grade).

“These results reflect our teachers’ and students’ commitment to academic excellence. I am incredibly proud that our students outperformed the state across every grade and tested subject,” said P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Heather Short. “While the 2026 scores establish a new baseline, we are also seeing significant growth across P-H-M. That combination of high achievement and continued growth demonstrates how we are building on a culture of excellence.”

Performing at these high levels is a testament to the district’s commitment to academic excellence and the strategies that drive student success. Out of Indiana public schools that passed both ELA and Math, Northpoint and Prairie Vista Elementary Schools are in the Top 10; and Discovery Middle School is #2.

P-H-M students are consistently outperforming statewide peers across grade levels and subject areas. District Grade 8 ELA pass rate is 71% in 2026, while the state is 44%. That puts P-H-M 27 points above the state. Grade 8 math remains exceptionally strong as well: 58% passed versus 34% statewide, a 24-point advantage. 

P-H-M has double-digit advantages over the state across all tested subjects, ELA, Math and Science. In 2026, P-H-M’s variance over the state are the following:

• +27 Grade 8 ELA

• +24 Grade 8 math

• +24 Biology

• +23 Grade 5 ELA

• +22 Grade 6 ELA 

• +21 Grade 7 ELA

• +20 Grade 6 Science 

The district’s Free and Reduced Lunch (F/R) student population, which now exceeds 34%, continues to demonstrate notable progress. Among Indiana’s largest public school districts testing over 5,000 students, P-H-M ranks #1 in the state for the percentage of F/R students passing both ELA and Math.

“At P-H-M, we’re focused on quality instruction and quality learning,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lavon Dean-Null. “Our educators are engaging students in intentional learning every day. Teachers continually review student data to refine instruction, identify where additional support is needed and ensure students are appropriately challenged. The strong gains we’re seeing, particularly in middle school ELA and Math, reflect the impact of effective instruction and the collaboration of our teachers across grade levels.” 

Beginning in spring 2022, Indiana junior high school students are required to take the SAT for graduation. Among high schools testing over 500 students, Penn High School’s pass percentage ranks #8 in the state. For the first time since the IDOE began tracking SAT scores, Penn High School’s pass percentage was 20% above the state average.

Penn High School PSAT Performance

Beginning in spring 2022, Indiana junior high school students are required to take the SAT for graduation. Among high schools testing over 500 students, Penn High School’s pass percentage ranks #8 in the state. For the first time since the IDOE began tracking SAT scores, Penn High School’s pass percentage was 20% above the state average.

2026 ILEARN Math Scores

2026 ILEARN ELA Scores

2026 ILEARN Science Scores

2026 ILEARN Social Studies Scores

2026 ILEARN High School Biology

The 2026 ILEARN results represent the first year that all students in grades 3–8 participated in Indiana’s new through-year assessment model (ILEARN Checkpoints), which focuses on a streamlined set of prioritized standards. As a result, these scores establish a new baseline for Indiana and the IDOE is not comparing the results to previous years. 

Our first Kindergarten Kickoff, held on Friday, August 21, 2026, had a terrific turnout and tremendous community response.

The event was so touching it even garnered the attention of national network news!

A brief feature about our inaugural event was featured on NBC Nightly News on Saturday, September 5 at the end of the newscast as part of “There’s Good News Tonight” segment. Our portion was one of three stories highlighted as good news from across the country.

Click the link below watch our story …

Before the Penn football team kicked off their football season under the Friday Night Lights, another type of kickoff happened under the lights that brought both tears and cheers! Click here to see a full photo gallery.

On Friday, August 21, 2026 we held our first-ever Kindergarten Kickoff. It was a sight to behold and warmed our hearts–approximately 175 kindergartners and 100 seniors walking towards each other on the football field meeting at the 50 yard line. The goal was for the Class of 2027 students to welcome into the P-H-M Family the Class of 2039 students giving them gold and black pom-poms. To say the Future Kingsmen were excited was an understatement; and the seniors were pretty pumped to welcome them into the P-H-M Family. 

Click to watch the video below …

This new tradition will be added moving forward as part of the festivities of Penn High School’s Home Opener boy’s tackle football game and the Community Tailgate, which has been a longstanding tradition.

MISHAWAKA, IN —With the Indiana Department of Education’s release Tuesday, August 11 of 2026 IREAD-3 results, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Heather Short is proud to share that 94.7% of P-H-M students passed IREAD.

P-H-M’s corporation-wide pass rate increased over last school year (2025-2026) and is 6 percentage points higher than this year’s statewide overall passing rate of 88.7%.

Five P-H-M elementary schools achieved an outstanding 95% or higher passing rate, including one Title I school.

• Prairie Vista Elementary: 98.8% pass rate
• Horizon Elementary: 97.7% pass rate
• Northpoint Elementary: 96.9% pass rate
• Elsie Rogers Elementary: 96.4% pass rate (Title I school)
• Bittersweet Elementary: 95.9% pass rate

Statewide, results show that 88.7% of Indiana’s third grade students demonstrated proficient reading skills on the IREAD assessment. This is an improvement of nearly 1.5 percentage points over results for the 2024-2025 school year, the second-largest single-year increase since the assessment began (click here for more information on state results in today’s IDOE news release).

Five other P-H-M elementary schools had pass rates above the State average, with four of those scoring 90% or higher, including three of P-H-M’s Title I schools: 

• Moran Elementary: 94.8% pass rate (Title I school)
• Walt Disney: 94.4% pass rate (Title I school)
• Elm Road Elementary: 93.1% pass rate (Title I school)
• Madison Elementary: 90.5% pass rate
• Mary Frank: 88.9% pass rate

“These results are a reflection of the incredible dedication of our teachers, the hard work of our students, and the partnership of our families,” said Superintendent Dr. Heather Short. “I am especially proud of the growth we are seeing across our schools, including our Title I schools that have achieved a 90% or higher passing rate. These accomplishments demonstrate what is possible when we maintain high expectations and provide students with the support they need.”

P-H-M continues to prioritize research-based literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading, providing educators with professional learning, instructional resources, and opportunities to collaborate around student data and effective instructional practices.

The 2026 IREAD-3 results reflect the district’s ongoing commitment to building on a culture of academic excellence and ensuring every student develops the foundational literacy skills necessary for continued academic growth.

“We are proud of these results, but our work does not stop here,” Dr. Short added. “We will continue to use student data to identify opportunities for growth, strengthen instruction, and make sure every child has the opportunity to become a confident and capable reader.”

By the Numbers

• 94.7% — P-H-M corporation-wide IREAD-3 passing rate
• 6 percentage points — P-H-M performance above the state passing rate
• 5 schools — Achieved a 95% or higher passing rate
• 1 Title I school — Achieved a 95% or higher passing rate
• 3 schools — Increased their passing rates by 6–8 percentage points compared to 2025
• Year-over-year growth — P-H-M’s overall passing percentage has continued to increase since 2024

All second grade students participate in the IREAD assessment – a tactic that has already proven successful at providing educators and families an early indicator of whether a student is on-track to read by the end of third grade. 

P-H-M’s second grade results were an impressive 72.1% of students passing in 2026.

This school year Penn High School will launch a new tradition celebrating the connection between Penn’s incoming Senior Class of 2027 and the Kindergarten Class of 2039.

At Penn’s first home football game on Friday, August 21 after the Community Tailgate (click here for more details on this event) and before the Penn-Valpo game, incoming kindergartners will be welcomed to the P-H-M family during our inaugural Kindergarten Kickoff celebration.

As part of this special event, Penn seniors will meet the kindergartners at the 50-yard line and pass them black and gold pom-poms, symbolizing the beginning of their journey as future Kingsmen and Lady Kingsmen.

This simple but meaningful moment represents the tradition, pride, and community that make Penn High School and P-H-M special. 

Info for Kindergarten Families

Click here to register your kindergartner to participate.

Show your Penn Pride by ordering your student an official Future Kingsmen t-shirt by clicking this link.

Event Details:

• Gates open at 5:30 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. 
• Kindergarten and younger siblings are FREE and do NOT need a ticket!
  Purchase older student and adult tickets online for $7.00 ($8.00 at the gate) by clicking here.
  
• Community Tailgate is 5:30-7:00 p.m. You can feed each member of your family for just $6.00! 
• Check in for Kindergarten Kickoff at the PHM Education Foundation Table by 6:00 p.m.
• Pick up your child’s t-shirt (if purchased)
• Enjoy the festivities and connect with other P-H-M families
• One adult should stay with their child until they walk onto the field and will remain in the end zone to meet them afterwards
• Get your cell phones ready to take pictures of your student participating in the Kindergarten Kickoff!

Stay for the game:

After the Community Tailgate and the Kindergarten Kickoff event, families are encouraged to stay and cheer on the Kingsmen as they take on Valparaiso in their home opener.

Info for Penn Seniors Class of 2027

Seniors, click here to sign up.

Space may be limited, so we encourage you to register early.

• Gates open at 5:30 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. 
• Make sure you purchase your football ticket online for $7.00 ($8.00 at the gate).
• Community Tailgate is 5:30-7:00 p.m. Hang out with your friends & eat for just $6.00! 
• Check in for Kindergarten Kickoff at the PHM Education Foundation Table by 6:00 p.m.
• Enjoy the festivities with your friends
• Have your friends ready to take pictures of you participating in the first-ever Kindergarten Kickoff!

Penn High School Boys Basketball is offering Futures Leagues for Boys in Grades 1-through-8.

There are four leagues – Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, Grades 5-6, Grades 7-8.

Times/complete information are in the PDFs below.

The Leagues are on Sundays from Sept. 20-Oct. 18.

Register for Grades 1-2 League

Register for Grades 3-4 League

Register for Grades 5-6 League

Register for Grades 7-8 League

Boys Basketball 2026 Fall 1st-4th Basketball League

Boys Basketball 2026 5th-8th Fall League Info

Penn-Harris-Madison Schools is proud to recognize outstanding educators whose instruction leads to meaningful academic growth for students.

This semester, Elsie Rogers Elementary 4th Grade teacher Allison Simpson was surprised with a P-H-M Teacher Impact Award after her students demonstrated outstanding growth in ELA from Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2. Her students achieved an impressive growth of 62 points, reflecting exceptional academic progress and achievement.

Superintendent Dr. Heather Short and Elsie Rogers Elementary Principal Christy Campbell surprised Allison and her students with the recognition, celebrating the connection between high-quality instruction and student achievement. The P-H-M Teacher Impact Award is presented each semester to teachers whose students show the greatest academic growth, highlighting excellence in teaching and learning across the district.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for providing the beautiful engraved awards that the teachers keep in their classrooms as a reminder of what they and their students accomplished.

Click to see the full photo gallery in Canto.

📍 Penn High School | 🗓 March 7–8, 2026
🎟 Admission: Free

Penn High School will host a FIRST Indiana Robotics District Competition on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, 2026. The competition will take place in the Main Arena and feature more than 40 teams from across Indiana.

Click here to see a photo gallery of last year’s competition.

📅 Event Schedule

Saturday, March 7

• 10:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

• All Day – Qualification Matches

• @7:00 p.m. – Competition concludes

Sunday, March 8

• 9:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

• 2:00–5:00 p.m. – Playoff Matches & Awards

🤖 About the Competition

• Theme: FIRST AGE (Archaeology)

• Game: REBUILT

• This event serves as a qualifier for the FIRST Indiana Robotics Championship
  (April 17–19 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds)

• Top teams may advance to the FIRST Robotics World Championships

👉 Click here for more information on the REBUILT game

🚗 Parking & Entry

• Parking: Penn High School parking lots: Main, Softball, Soccer; and across the street at Schmucker Middle School

• Spectator Entrance: Door D (northwest corner of the school)

🍔 Food & Amenities

• Food trucks available both days

• Spectator-friendly event for all ages

Come cheer on Indiana’s best student engineers and experience innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving in action!

After a month of hard work, Miss Feller’s second grade class celebrated a major milestone—they officially became published authors!

Throughout October, students learned about the writing process, brainstorming, planning, drafting, and revising their own spooky stories. They focused on adding vivid details and descriptive words to make their writing come alive.

On Thursday, Nov. 13, students finally got to see their published books for the first time, and their excitement filled the room! Smiles, cheers, and proud faces marked the moment as each student flipped through the pages of their very own story in print—a well-deserved reward for four weeks of creativity and dedication.

Way to go, Roadrunners!  #PHMExcellence

P-H-M’s Annual Community Tailgate is a long-standing tradition that brings families, students, staff, and community members together to show their Penn pride. The event is held before the Penn Football home opener and is a chance for everyone across the district to connect, celebrate, and support the Kingsmen.

This year’s home opener will be “The Backyard Brawl” against Mishawaka on Friday, August 29th, 2025. Click here for game ticket info.

Gates open at 5:00 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the south end zone at the Yeoman Family Plaza.

Friday night marks the 67th meeting between Penn and Mishawaka. Penn leads the all-time series 49-16-1.