Enrollment
5,239
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Carmel, IN
Carmel High School
Federal NCES profile for Carmel High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 180120000193
👥 S:T ratio 28
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Carmel High School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Indiana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Indiana.
- #13 of 17
- public schools in Carmel · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 11.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Carmel High School has class sizes larger than 80% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Carmel High School ranks #13 of 17 public schools in Carmel, IN.
School address
District: Carmel Clay Schools · Indiana
NCES ID 180120000193 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
291.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.6%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carmel High School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Carmel High School
Carmel High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Carmel, Indiana, enrolling 5,239 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.6% free-meal eligibility runs 77% below the Indiana average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Indiana, bigger than 99% of state schools at 5,239 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Asian (18%) (diversity index 54/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 37 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 327 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Carmel Clay Schools also operates Creekside Middle School (1,428 students) and Clay Middle School (1,415 students) alongside Carmel High School.
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 Carmel High School compares
Carmel 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.6% | ▼ 77% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 5,239 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
5,239
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 77% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 80% in Indiana - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$12,522
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors16.0 FTE
Per 327 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
138
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 64.6%
Asian 18.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
African American 4.9%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 64.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.0, Carmel High School is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 37
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carmel Clay Schools, which includes Carmel High School.
$12,522
Per student
+4%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.8%
State 53.8%
Federal 5.5%
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.
How Carmel High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creekside Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clay Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carmel Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Prairie Trace Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherry Tree Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Carmel High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,428
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,415
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,047
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 715
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
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 (~5,239 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Carmel High School's federal record.
- Compare Carmel High School against another school. Compare schools
- Carmel Clay Schools'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 Carmel High School
How many students attend Carmel High School?
Carmel High School has 5,239 students enrolled. It is a high school in Carmel, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carmel High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Carmel High School is 18:1, which is 13% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carmel High School?
11.6% of students at Carmel High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carmel High School?
The largest demographic group at Carmel High School is White at 64.6% of enrollment, in Carmel, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carmel High School?
Carmel High School has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Carmel High School rank among public schools in Carmel?
By Resource Investment Index, Carmel High School ranks #13 of 17 public schools in Carmel, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Carmel on the city page.
Is Carmel High School a good school?
Carmel High School earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Indiana schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Indiana. 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 Carmel Clay Schools?
Besides Carmel High School, Carmel Clay Schools also operates Creekside Middle School (1,428 students), Clay Middle School (1,415 students), and Carmel Middle School (1,047 students). See the Carmel Clay Schools district page for the complete list.
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.