Other / mixed grade configuration · Indianapolis, IN

George Washington Carver School 87

Federal NCES profile for George Washington Carver School 87, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180477002555
0/100100/10058/100
👥 S:T ratio
65
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
79
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

George Washington Carver School 87 earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.

#8 of 90
schools in Indianapolis · Resource Index
58
Resource Index · Higher
8.8:1
small classes for Indiana
51.3%
free-lunch eligible

George Washington Carver School 87 has class sizes smaller than 97% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, George Washington Carver School 87 ranks #8 of 90 schools in Indianapolis, IN.

Enrollment

246

Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

28.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

8.8:1

vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg

-45% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

51.3%

vs 49.5% Indiana avg

+4% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How George Washington Carver School 87 compares with Indiana and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at George Washington Carver School 87

George Washington Carver School 87 is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Indianapolis, Indiana, enrolling 246 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 8.8:1, George Washington Carver School 87 is leaner than roughly 97% of Indiana schools and 45% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.3% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 246 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.

Against 261 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #41.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (36%) and African American (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).

Attendance holds up well here: only 8.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

The surrounding Indianapolis Public Schools spends $19,511 per pupil, 62% above the Indiana average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among Indianapolis's public schools, it stands alongside Indiana Connections Academy (5,376 students): George Washington Carver School 87 is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.8:1 vs 36.6:1).

Indianapolis Public Schools also operates Arsenal Technical High School (2,360 students) and Crispus Attucks High School (1,269 students) alongside George Washington Carver School 87.

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 George Washington Carver School 87 compares

George Washington Carver School 87 on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Indiana Indiana avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 8.8:1 ▼ 45% 15.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 51.3% ▲ 4% 49.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 246 top 86% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

8.8:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
246
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
51.3%
free-lunch eligible - 4% 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
8.8:1
students per teacher - 45% below state mean
Top 3% in Indiana - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$19,511
per pupil, district-wide - above Indiana avg of $12,079
Somewhat 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
6
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 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

Hispanic or Latino 36.2%
African American 35.4%
White 17.1%
Two or More 9.8%
Asian 1.6%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 36.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 70.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 70.5, George Washington Carver School 87 is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Indianapolis Public Schools, which includes George Washington Carver School 87.

$19,511
Per student
+62%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
+18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 53.5%
Federal 12.3%

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 George Washington Carver School 87 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Arsenal Technical High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Crispus Attucks High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Shortridge High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
George Washington High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Northwest Community Middle School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to George Washington Carver School 87's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Indianapolis Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Indianapolis

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on George Washington Carver School 87's federal record.

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 George Washington Carver School 87

How many students attend George Washington Carver School 87?

George Washington Carver School 87 has 246 students enrolled. It is a public school in Indianapolis, IN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at George Washington Carver School 87?

The student-teacher ratio at George Washington Carver School 87 is 8.8:1, which is 45% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 44% 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 George Washington Carver School 87?

51.3% of students at George Washington Carver School 87 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of George Washington Carver School 87?

The largest demographic group at George Washington Carver School 87 is Hispanic or Latino at 36.2% of enrollment, in Indianapolis, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for George Washington Carver School 87?

George Washington Carver School 87 has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does George Washington Carver School 87 rank among schools in Indianapolis?

By Resource Investment Index, George Washington Carver School 87 ranks #8 of 90 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 schools in Indianapolis on the city page.

Is George Washington Carver School 87 a good school?

George Washington Carver School 87 earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools. 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 Indianapolis Public Schools?

Besides George Washington Carver School 87, Indianapolis Public Schools also operates Arsenal Technical High School (2,360 students), Crispus Attucks High School (1,269 students), and Shortridge High School (1,206 students). See the Indianapolis Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.