Enrollment
509
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180477000844
H L Harshman Middle School — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for H L Harshman Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 2
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: Indianapolis Public Schools · 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How H L Harshman Middle 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
H L Harshman Middle School reports 509 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 68% above the Indiana average and 61% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 255 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Indianapolis Public Schools spends $26,790 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.1% from local sources (property taxes), 53.5% from the state, and 12.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 H L Harshman Middle 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 12% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.4% | ▲ 68% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 60% | — | — |
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
83.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 68% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 29% in Indiana — lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
39.1%
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
$26,790
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 255 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 300 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 61.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 509 Top 60% in Indiana — larger than 40% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.4% +68% vs state
NCES ID 180477000844
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.2%
White 32.4%
African American 15.5%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 255:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.1%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 300
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Indianapolis Public Schools, which includes H L Harshman Middle School.
$26,790
Per student
+84%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
+37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,360
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,269
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,206
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
Similar middle schools in Indianapolis
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Franklin Central Junior High
Standard public school
1,797 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Fall Creek Valley Middle School
Standard public school
1,355 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Southport Middle School
Standard public school
1,304 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Perry Meridian Middle School
Standard public school
1,278 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Chapel Hill 7th & 8th Grade Center
Standard public school
1,143 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Lynhurst 7th & 8th Grade Center
Standard public school
1,135 students 15:1 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 H L Harshman Middle School
How many students attend H L Harshman Middle School?
H L Harshman Middle School has 509 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at H L Harshman Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at H L Harshman Middle School is 14.1:1, which is 12% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 11% 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 H L Harshman Middle School?
83.4% of students at H L Harshman Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of H L Harshman Middle School?
The largest demographic group at H L Harshman Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 45.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for H L Harshman Middle School?
H L Harshman Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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.