NCES CCD 2024-25 75 schools IN

Best-Resourced Schools in Fort Wayne, IN

75 public K-12 schools in Fort Wayne from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

75
Schools
46,331
Students
46/100
Avg Resource Index
15.6:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Fort Wayne has more public-school enrollment than 98% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Fort Wayne is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 7 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

32 of Fort Wayne's 75 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 50-point gap between Esacs Virtual School and Timothy L Johnson Academy shows the range hidden by Fort Wayne's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 2%
School count
Top 2%
Resource Index average
74th percentile
Teacher staffing
47th percentile

Fort Wayne school enrollment varies 105× across entities

Fort Wayne school enrollment ranges from 25 students (lowest) to 2,623 students (highest), a spread of 2,598 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Fort Wayne operates 7 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Fort Wayne student-teacher ratio is 15.6:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Fort Wayne is typically wider than the Fort Wayne-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

# School Score
1. Esacs Virtual School 63
2. Willard Shambaugh Elementary Sch 62
3. Cedarville Elementary School 60
4. Whitney M Young Early Childhood 60
5. Saint Joseph Central School 59
6. Fred H Croninger Elementary School 58
7. Weisser Park Elementary School 57
8. Covington Elementary School 56
9. Robert C Harris Elementary School 56
10. John S Irwin Elementary School 56
11. Summit Middle School 55
12. Bunche Elementary School 55
13. Homestead High School 54
14. Woodside Middle School 54
15. East Allen University 54
16. Carroll High School 53
17. Hickory Center Elementary School 53
18. Eel River Elementary School 53
19. Haverhill Elementary School 53
20. Lindley Elementary School 53
21. Carroll Middle School 52
22. Mabel K Holland Elementary School 52
23. Glenwood Park Elementary School 52
24. Oak View Elementary School 52
25. Arlington Elementary School 52
26. Francis M Price Elementary School 52
27. Lincoln Elementary School 51
28. J Wilbur Haley Elementary School 51
29. Deer Ridge Elementary 51
30. Adams Elementary School 51
31. Fort Wayne Virtual Academy 50
32. Jeff H Towles Intermediate School 49
33. Whispering Meadow Elementary Sch 49
34. Aboite Elementary School 49
35. Cedar Canyon Elementary School 48
36. Maplewood Elementary School 48
37. Bloomingdale Elementary School 47
38. Southwick Elementary School 46
39. Harrison Hill Elementary School 46
40. Franke Park Elementary School 46
41. Brentwood Elementary School 46
42. Aspen Meadow Elementary School 45
43. Fairfield Elementary School 45
44. Merle J Abbett Elementary School 45
45. Indian Village Elementary School 45
46. Maple Creek Middle School 44
47. Blackhawk Middle School 44
48. Washington Center Elementary Sch 44
49. Waynedale Elementary School 44
50. R Nelson Snider High School 43

Showing top 50 of 75 schools.

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Fort Wayne

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Maplewood Elementary School 77.1/100
  2. 2 Wayne High School 76.6/100
  3. 3 Lane Middle School 76.5/100
  4. 4 Brentwood Elementary School 75.8/100
  5. 5 Lincoln Elementary School 75.7/100

What do families ask about schools in Fort Wayne?

Which Fort Wayne school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Esacs Virtual School has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Fort Wayne schools in this federal-data comparison at 63/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Fort Wayne, IN?

Fort Wayne has 75 public schools with a total enrollment of 46,331 students. 3 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.6:1.

Other Cities in Indiana

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Indiana →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.