Indianapolis Public Schools

Indianapolis Public Schools enrolled 19,774 students in 2025-26. Since 2005-06 enrollment has fallen 47%; the median Indiana corporation shrank 11%. The chart indexes each series to its 2005-06 level.

Enrollment and the funding count

Indiana's tuition support formula pays on average daily membership (ADM), counted each September and again in the spring; ADM excludes pre-kindergarten, which the enrollment count includes. Indianapolis Public Schools's fall ADM was 21,128 in 2023-24, 0.97 per enrolled student.

IDOE State Tuition Support Annual Reports, Appendix A (fall count, non-virtual plus virtual ADM), and IDOE enrollment (October count).

Students, 2025-26

Home values against nearby districts

Across the five most recent Census releases (2016–20 to 2020–24), the median owner-occupied home in Indianapolis Public Schools averaged $139,280, 37% below the median of the 30 nearest districts, all within 22 miles ($220,120). That ranks 31st of 31 in the area and at the 30th percentile of Indiana districts (state median $158,850).

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, median value of owner-occupied homes (table B25077), in nominal dollars. Consecutive releases share four of their five survey years, so the average is a smoothed level rather than five independent years. Nearby districts are the 30 whose NCES office address is closest to Indianapolis Public Schools's, out of the more than 30 within 25 miles: Zionsville (14 mi, $475,780); Carmel Clay (14 mi, $418,580); Westfield-Washington (20 mi, $354,080); Hamilton Southeastern (17 mi, $325,800); Noblesville (20 mi, $296,760); Center Grove (14 mi, $295,960); New Palestine (14 mi, $278,760); Brownsburg (13 mi, $271,960); North West Hendricks (22 mi, $265,820); MSD Washington Township (9 mi, $259,840); Mt Vernon (19 mi, $247,800); Plainfield (14 mi, $247,760); Avon (13 mi, $247,400); Danville (21 mi, $238,120); MSD Lawrence Township (12 mi, $220,520); Triton Central (19 mi, $219,720); Franklin Township Com Sch Corp (10 mi, $219,600); Clark-Pleasant Community Sch Corp (16 mi, $216,100); Monroe-Gregg School District (22 mi, $213,460); Franklin (20 mi, $204,260); Mooresville Con (16 mi, $200,380); Greenwood Community Sch Corp (12 mi, $191,720); Greenfield-Central Com (20 mi, $191,100); Perry Township (7 mi, $189,180); MSD Pike Township (9 mi, $188,140); School Town of Speedway (5 mi, $178,140); MSD Decatur Township (9 mi, $167,760); MSD Warren Township (8 mi, $156,600); MSD Wayne Township (6 mi, $145,180); Beech Grove City (6 mi, $143,000).

Where resident students go, fall 2025

Of 48,869 students who live in the district, 18,065 attend Indianapolis Public Schools schools: a retention rate of 37.0%, 288th of 290 statewide. 30,804 leave: 5,206 on Choice Scholarships to private schools, 19,562 to charter schools and 6,036 to other public corporations. 1,026 students transfer in. The largest destinations:

IDOE enrollment (October count) and fall 2025-26 transfer report. Retention = resident students enrolled in the corporation as a share of all students who live there (“settled”).

On the spring 2025 ILEARN, 20.8% of Indianapolis Public Schools students were proficient in English/language arts and 21.0% in math, against 38.2% and 40.7% for the median Indiana corporation. That ranks 278th and 268th among 290 corporations. Against the peer median it trails in ELA, math, science, IREAD-3 and the SAT.

IDOE assessment, graduation and federal accountability files. Rank is among Indiana's public school corporations with a reported result (1st = highest). Only the 2025 ILEARN release is on file, so there is no trend line here.

In 2024-25, 32.2% of Indianapolis Public Schools students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year), against 25.2% in the peer median and 13.2% in the median Indiana corporation. That is 285th lowest of 290. Before the pandemic, in 2018-19, the rate was 26.3%.

IDOE chronic absenteeism file, 2012-13 to 2024-25. A student is chronically absent after missing 10% or more of enrolled days.

Indianapolis Public Schools spent $26,028 per pupil on current operations in FY2024, against $14,871 for the peer median and $11,831 for the median Indiana corporation. Local property tax provided 31% of revenue (peer median 20%, Indiana median 25%) and state aid 43% (Indiana median 55%).

U.S. Census Bureau annual school finance survey (F-33), current spending per pupil, nominal dollars, excluding the teacher-retirement payments the state makes on corporations' behalf (reported inconsistently in FY2023). Capital and debt payments are not current spending.

For taxes payable in 2026 the corporation certified $264.1M across its funds, at a combined rate of $1.3274 per $100 of net assessed value. The operating referendum adds $48.5M ($0.1960 per $100). Referendum debt for capital projects adds $38.2M. Indiana's property-tax caps do not apply to referendum levies, which makes an operating referendum the one local operating revenue source outside the caps.

Indianapolis Public Schools and its regional peers (within 50 miles), pay 2026

Indianapolis Public Schools's operating referendum rate is the highest of these 1 corporations. Statewide, 66 of 290 school units levied an operating referendum for taxes payable 2026.

Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, Certified Budget, Levy, CNAV and Rate by Fund files. Operating referendum = funds 0022, 0023 and 0025; referendum debt = 0187 and 0287. Rates are per $100 of net assessed value; referendum funds are levied on a different assessed-value base from the other funds, so the rates are summed as published.

The November 3, 2026 question asks for an operating referendum tax of up to $0.3720 per $100 of assessed value for up to 4 years, raising at most $95 million a year. If it passes, the county auditor estimates the tax bill on a median home ($150,000 assessed value) would rise by $221 a year.

For taxes payable 2026, Indianapolis Public Schools levies $48.5M through an operating referendum, at $0.1960 per $100 of assessed value. The question's ceiling of $0.3720 is $0.1760 above that rate.

Indianapolis Public Schools has put 3 referendum questions to voters since 2018; all passed. Statewide, DLGF records 190 operating referendum questions from 2009 through 2025, and 133 passed (70%).

Ballot terms: the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance's final determination on each question, which quotes the approved wording and the county auditor's certified median-home estimate. Past results: DLGF historic referenda records (outcome only; DLGF does not publish vote counts). Current levy: DLGF certified levy by fund.

Wherever this briefing sets Indianapolis Public Schools beside other school corporations, it uses the group below. A group figure is the middle value across its members, each counted equally, so one large member cannot dominate it.

Peers 12 school corporations

No Indiana district (public school corporations) is within two standard deviations of Indianapolis Public Schools on all four matching factors (total enrollment (compared as a ratio), current spending per pupil, students per teacher and the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals), so these are the 12 closest on average across the four, each difference scaled by how much the factor varies across districts. They are the closest available, not close matches; read the peer comparisons with that in mind. Peers carry the achievement, spending and staffing comparisons.

“Indiana median” is the middle value across Indiana's public school corporations. Corporations that enroll mostly virtual students are left out of both groups. Spending is F-33 current spending excluding state on-behalf payments; students per teacher is the NCES Common Core of Data count.