Fort Wayne Community Schools

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Fort Wayne, Indiana - 50 schools

An equity score of 72/100 ranks Fort Wayne Community Schools #45 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,247 per pupil, Fort Wayne Community Schools ranks #87 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

28,612
Total Enrollment
50
Schools
$13,247
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Fort Wayne Community Schools operates 50 public schools serving 28,612 students, placing it among the larger districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 25 combined, 10 middle, 10 elementary, 5 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Allen County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,247 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.4% local, 56.6% state, and 21.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 72/100, ranked #45 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 50 schools offering Advanced Placement (32 AP courses district-wide), a 452.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 33.7% White, 25.1% African American, 23.9% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Maplewood Elementary School, with a diversity index of 77.1/100.

Its largest campus is Northrop High School, enrolling 2,145 students (8% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Allen Co Juvenile Center, at 25 students, a 86x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Fort Wayne Community Schools school enrollment varies 86× across entities

Fort Wayne Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 25 students (lowest) to 2,145 students (highest), a spread of 2,120 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Fort Wayne Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 65.5% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Fort Wayne Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 452:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Fort Wayne Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 27.7% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Fort Wayne Community Schools is typically wider than the Fort Wayne Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

21.1%
Federal
56.6%
State
22.4%
Local

Funding Equity

72
Equity Score
45 / 373
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 50 schools in Fort Wayne Community Schools.

White 33.7%
Hispanic or Latino 23.9%
African American 25.1%
Asian 6.3%
Multiracial 10.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 71.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Fort Wayne Community Schools's schools, above the Indiana average of 39.0.

Most mixed schools

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

Programs & Resources

5 / 50
Schools with AP
32 AP courses total
452.4:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
27.7%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Fort Wayne Community Schools

School Enrollment
Northrop High School
2,145
R Nelson Snider High School
1,927
South Side High School
1,405
Wayne High School
1,398
North Side High School
1,383
Blackhawk Middle School
814
Jefferson Middle School
658
Lane Middle School
644
Weisser Park Elementary School
632
Memorial Park Middle School
627
Shawnee Middle School
624
Fred H Croninger Elementary School
619
Harrison Hill Elementary School
612
Jeff H Towles Intermediate School
600
Lincoln Elementary School
590
Northwood Middle School
585
J Wilbur Haley Elementary School
583
Forest Park Elementary School
558
Washington Center Elementary Sch
553
Northcrest Elementary School
536
Mabel K Holland Elementary School
533
Glenwood Park Elementary School
532
Kekionga Middle School
527
Miami Middle School
496
Fairfield Elementary School
481
Maplewood Elementary School
477
Merle J Abbett Elementary School
467
Lakeside Middle School
452
Saint Joseph Central School
434
Levan R Scott Academy
419
Arlington Elementary School
418
Franke Park Elementary School
416
Brentwood Elementary School
415
Francis M Price Elementary School
405
Waynedale Elementary School
383
Portage Middle School
380
Robert C Harris Elementary School
360
South Wayne Elementary School
340
Bloomingdale Elementary School
331
Indian Village Elementary School
331
Lindley Elementary School
330
Fort Wayne Virtual Academy
315
Adams Elementary School
308
John S Irwin Elementary School
302
Study Elementary School
268
Willard Shambaugh Elementary Sch
266
Bunche Elementary School
234
Whitney M Young Early Childhood
218
Washington Elementary School
206
Allen Co Juvenile Center
25

How Fort Wayne Community Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Indiana districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Indianapolis Public Schools Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Hamilton Southeastern Schools Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Msd Lawrence Township Smaller Similar spending Similar funding mix
Perry Township Schools Smaller Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Fort Wayne Community Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Indiana

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Indianapolis Public Schools
22,027 students · 57 schools · $19,511/pupil
Compare vs Fort Wayne Community Schools →
Hamilton Southeastern Schools
21,612 students · 22 schools · $11,114/pupil
Compare vs Fort Wayne Community Schools →
Msd Lawrence Township
16,414 students · 17 schools · $12,776/pupil
Compare vs Fort Wayne Community Schools →
Perry Township Schools
16,222 students · 17 schools · $12,395/pupil
Compare vs Fort Wayne Community Schools →

Compare Fort Wayne Community Schools

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Indianapolis Public Schools →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Fort Wayne Community Schools?

Fort Wayne Community Schools has 50 schools, including 5 high, 10 middle, 10 elementary, 25 combined. Total enrollment is 28,612 students.

How much does Fort Wayne Community Schools spend per student?

Fort Wayne Community Schools spends $13,247 per student. The district has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #45 in Indiana.

What is the demographic composition of Fort Wayne Community Schools?

Fort Wayne Community Schools students are 33.7% White, 25.1% African American, 23.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, averaged across 50 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Fort Wayne Community Schools?

Fort Wayne Community Schools has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #45 out of 373 districts in Indiana.