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Marion, Indiana - 7 schools
An equity score of 73/100 ranks Marion Community Schools #40 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,017 per pupil, Marion Community Schools ranks #36 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,702
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$15,017
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Marion Community Schools operates 7 public schools serving 3,702 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 1 high, 1 elementary, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Grant County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,017 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 41 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 19.7% local, 54.2% state, and 26.1% 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 73/100, ranked #40 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 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (15 AP courses district-wide), a 403.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 38.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 44.7% White, 19.7% African American, 16.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Frances Slocum Elem School, with a diversity index of 71.3/100.
Its largest campus is Marion High School, enrolling 1,058 students (29% of the district's total enrollment).
Marion High School accounts for 28.6% of all Marion Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Marion Community Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Marion Community Schools school enrollment varies 2.8× across entities
Marion Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 380 students (lowest) to 1,058 students (highest), a spread of 678 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Marion Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 74.2% 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.
Marion Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 404:1 — 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.
Marion Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 38.7% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Marion Community Schools has 7 schools, including 1 high, 1 elementary, 4 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 3,702 students.
How much does Marion Community Schools spend per student?
Marion Community Schools spends $15,017 per student. The district has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #40 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of Marion Community Schools?
Marion Community Schools students are 44.7% White, 19.7% African American, 16.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Marion Community Schools?
Marion Community Schools has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #40 out of 373 districts in Indiana.