Enrollment
269
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180022302708 Charter school
Believe Circle City High School — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for Believe Circle City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 55
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 62
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Believe Circle City High School · Indiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.3%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+93% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Believe Circle City High School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Believe Circle City High School reports 269 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 95.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 93% above the Indiana average and 84% above the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Believe Circle City High School spends $23,317 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 44.1% from the state, and 19.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Believe Circle City High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.3% | ▲ 93% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 17% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
95.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 93% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 7% in Indiana — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$23,317
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 269 Top 17% in Indiana — larger than 83% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 95.3% +93% vs state
NCES ID 180022302708
Student demographics
African American 50.6%
Hispanic or Latino 42.4%
White 4.5%
Two or More 2.6%
Largest group: African American at 50.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Believe Circle City High School, which includes Believe Circle City High School.
$23,317
Per student
+60%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 44.1%
Federal 19.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar high schools in Indianapolis
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
North Central High School
Standard public school
3,682 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Franklin Central High School
Standard public school
3,438 students 21:1 students per teacher
Warren Central High School
Standard public school
3,391 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Ben Davis High School
Standard public school
3,315 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Pike High School
Standard public school
3,188 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Lawrence North High School
Standard public school
2,799 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Believe Circle City High School
How many students attend Believe Circle City High School?
Believe Circle City High School has 269 students enrolled. It is a high school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Believe Circle City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Believe Circle City High School is 11.2:1, which is 30% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 30% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Believe Circle City High School?
95.3% of students at Believe Circle City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Believe Circle City High School?
The largest demographic group at Believe Circle City High School is African American at 50.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Believe Circle City High School?
Believe Circle City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.