Enrollment
269
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Indianapolis, IN
Believe Circle City High School
Federal NCES profile for Believe Circle City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 180022302708Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Believe Circle City High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.
- #8 of 32
- high schools in Indianapolis · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 95.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Believe Circle City High School has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Believe Circle City High School ranks #8 of 32 high schools in Indianapolis, IN.
School address
District: Believe Circle City High School · Indiana
NCES ID 180022302708 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-11% 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
What stands out at Believe Circle City High School
Believe Circle City High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, enrolling 269 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 95.3% of students qualify for free meals, 93% above the Indiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 71 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #15.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (42%) (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
15.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Believe Circle City High School spends $20,125 per pupil, 67% above the Indiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Indianapolis's high schools, it stands alongside North Central High School (3,682 students): Believe Circle City High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.2:1 vs 16.3:1).
Believe Circle City High School is a single-school charter district, so Believe Circle City High School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Believe Circle City High School compares
Believe Circle City High School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.3% | ▲ 93% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 93% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 36% in Indiana - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$20,125
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
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.
Student-body diversity index 56.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.1, Believe Circle City High School is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Believe Circle City High School, which includes Believe Circle City High School.
$20,125
Per student
+67%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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 16.3:1 students per teacher
Franklin Central High School
Standard public school
3,438 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Warren Central High School
Standard public school
3,391 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Ben Davis High School
Standard public school
3,315 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Pike High School
Standard public school
3,188 students 16:1 students per teacher
Lawrence North High School
Standard public school
2,799 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~269 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Believe Circle City High School's federal record.
- Compare Believe Circle City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Believe Circle City High School's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
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 14.2:1, which is 11% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in Indianapolis, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Believe Circle City High School?
Believe Circle City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Believe Circle City High School rank among high schools in Indianapolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Believe Circle City High School ranks #8 of 32 high schools in Indianapolis, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Indianapolis on the city page.
Is Believe Circle City High School a good school?
Believe Circle City High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Believe Circle City High School?
None; Believe Circle City High School is a single-school charter district, and Believe Circle City High School is its only campus.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.