McClelland Elementary School

McClelland Elementary School is a K-5 school of high-enrollment scale in Indianapolis, Indiana, overseen by MSD Wayne Township, works with 809 students in grades pre-K through 6. That puts it 86% larger than the typical public school in Indiana, which averages around 436 students.

McClelland Elementary School is one of 17 schools operated by MSD Wayne Township, a district that serves 16,094 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, McClelland Elementary School lists that the most-represented group is Hispanic (38%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school records 30% Black, 21% White, 8% multiracial. By comparison, Marion County as a whole is about 14% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 63 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.9:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.5:1, putting McClelland Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 69% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Marion County (around 60%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), McClelland Elementary School ranks in the top 10% of Indiana public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 26.5%; McClelland Elementary School posts 41.9%, +15.4 points above that line.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Marion County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $66,346 per year, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Marion County runs 274 public schools (combined enrollment of about 161,456 students), of which McClelland Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Ben Davis University High School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around McClelland Elementary School. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), McClelland Elementary School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 18.0%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 808 students in 2018 compared to 809 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share decreased from 32% to 21%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 16.7:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.