Enrollment
180
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180010802503 Charter school
Damar Charter Academy — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for Damar Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
The verdict
Damar Charter Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (20/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Indiana schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 20/100
- 12.8:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 98.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 180
- students enrolled
School address
District: Damar Charter Academy · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+100% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Damar Charter Academy 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
Damar Charter Academy reports 180 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% 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 15.7:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 100% above the Indiana average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 720 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Damar Charter Academy spends $15,944 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $12,079 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 1.3% from local sources (property taxes), 89.0% from the state, and 9.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Damar Charter Academy 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 20% | 16.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 100% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 180 | top 7% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 71% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
180 larger than 17% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
98.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 100% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 20% below state mean
Top 15% in Indiana — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
41.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,944
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $12,079
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 720 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 180 Top 7% in Indiana — larger than 93% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.9% +100% vs state
NCES ID 180010802503
Student demographics
White 64.4%
African American 23.3%
Two or More 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Largest group: White at 64.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 720:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Damar Charter Academy, which includes Damar Charter Academy.
$15,944
Per student
+32%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.3%
State 89.0%
Federal 9.7%
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 other schools in Indianapolis
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Indiana Connections Academy
Standard public school
5,376 students 39.3:1 students per teacher
Hoosier College and Career Academy
Standard public school
1,484 students 28.5:1 students per teacher
Early Learning Center
Standard public school
1,313 students 24:1 students per teacher
Victory College Prep Academy
Standard public school
1,058 students 10.1:1 students per teacher
Forest Glen Elementary School
Standard public school
971 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Indiana Connections Career Academy
Standard public school
942 students 39.2:1 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 Damar Charter Academy
How many students attend Damar Charter Academy?
Damar Charter Academy has 180 students enrolled. It is a other school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Damar Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Damar Charter Academy is 12.8:1, which is 20% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 18% 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 Damar Charter Academy?
98.9% of students at Damar Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Damar Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Damar Charter Academy is White at 64.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Damar Charter Academy?
Damar Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Damar Charter Academy a good school?
Damar Charter Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (20/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Indiana schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.