Stephen Decatur Elementary School

Stephen Decatur Elementary School operates as a reasonably sized elementary school in Indianapolis, Indiana, part of MSD Decatur Township. Current enrollment sits at 496 students spanning grades K through 6.

MSD Decatur Township comprises 9 schools with combined enrollment of 6,485 students; Stephen Decatur Elementary School is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Stephen Decatur Elementary School lists that the largest single group is White, at 55% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school reports 24% Hispanic, 12% Black, 8% multiracial. Compared to Marion County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.5:1, putting Stephen Decatur Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 71% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above Marion County's rate of about 60%.

With demographic context factored in, Stephen Decatur Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 25.5%, the actual is 18.9%, a residual of -6.6 points.

In the area at large, 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 census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. Across Marion County's 274 public schools (combined enrollment of about 161,456 students), Stephen Decatur Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Lynwood Elementary, roughly 0.8 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Stephen Decatur Elementary School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 21.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Looking at the recent track record. Stephen Decatur Elementary School's enrollment has showed little movement since 2018, when it stood at 506 (now 496). Hispanic enrollment moved from 13% to 24% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 18.7:1 in 2018 to 14.6:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.