Ben Davis University High School

As a modestly sized four-year high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ben Davis University High School serves 375 students from grades 10 through 12, one of the schools within MSD Wayne Township. Compared to the state average of about 816 students per school, that is 54% below typical.

MSD Wayne Township runs 17 schools in total, collectively educating 16,094 students. Ben Davis University High School is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Ben Davis University High School shows that 44% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school records 33% Black, 21% White, 2% multiracial. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 14%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 22.1:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 16.6:1 average. Roughly 74% of students at Ben Davis University High School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Marion County's rate of about 60%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Marion County indicate the typical household earns roughly $66,346 per year, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 12%. In all, Marion County runs 274 public schools (combined enrollment of about 161,456 students), of which Ben Davis University High School is one.

Nearest neighbor: McClelland Elementary School, around 0.5 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Ben Davis University High School has decreased 5%, going from 393 students in 2018 to 375 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 23% to 44% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 20.7:1 in 2018 to 22.1:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.