Indiana Elem School

Indiana Elem School is one of the close-knit middle schools in Park Forest, Illinois, overseen by Matteson ESD 162, with 215 students on its rolls from grades 4 through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 53% leaner than the state mean of about 462.

Matteson ESD 162 comprises 7 schools with combined enrollment of 2,405 students; Indiana Elem School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Indiana Elem School reports that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (87%). The remainder consists of 7% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Indiana Elem School shows 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.3:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 54% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is south of Cook County's rate of about 66%.

With demographic context factored in, Indiana Elem School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 40.1%; this one delivers 30.6%.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Cook County) shows that median household income runs about $83,498, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Indiana Elem School is one of 1406 public schools in Cook County (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students).

Matteson Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Indiana Elem School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Indiana Elem School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 31.1%.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Indiana Elem School has fell 42%, going from 373 students in 2018 to 215 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share edged down from 93% to 87%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 12.3:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Indiana Elem School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.