Central Elementary School

Set in Indianapolis, Indiana, Central Elementary School is a mid-tier primary school, operated by MSD Pike Township. It educates 634 students across grades K through 5. That puts it 45% bigger than the typical public school in Indiana, which averages around 436 students.

Across the 13 schools in MSD Pike Township (10,674 students total), Central Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Central Elementary School records that 62% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest looks like 29% Hispanic, 3% White, 3% multiracial, 2% Asian. That is visibly more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 27%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.5:1, putting Central Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 54% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Central Elementary School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 37.6%; this one comes in at 20.2%, -17.4 points off the demographic line.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Marion County put median household income runs about $66,346, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. In all, Marion County runs 274 public schools (combined enrollment of about 161,456 students), of which Central Elementary School is one.

Lincoln Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Central Elementary School at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 18.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Five-year trend. Central Elementary School's enrollment has edged down 6% since 2018, when it stood at 672 (now 634). Over the same period, the Hispanic share increased from 22% to 29%.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Central Elementary School typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.