Enrollment
428
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Indianapolis, IN
Herron Preparatory Academy
Federal NCES profile for Herron Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180023102736Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Herron Preparatory Academy earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #22 of 89
- elementary schools in Indianapolis · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.8:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 37.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Herron Preparatory Academy has class sizes larger than 97% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Herron Preparatory Academy ranks #22 of 89 elementary schools in Indianapolis, IN.
School address
District: Herron Preparatory Academy · Indiana
NCES ID 180023102736 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.8:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Herron Preparatory Academy compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Herron Preparatory Academy
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational constraint
Herron Preparatory Academy's enrollment sits away from the most extreme size bands, but its reported student-teacher ratio is heavier than most Indiana schools. That isolates staffing load as a more useful concern than raw campus size. A high ratio does not establish weak teaching or outcomes, yet it can indicate less adult capacity per enrolled student. The remaining federal indicators show whether support staffing and program access offset that pressure.
Need and resources require a component-level read
Herron Preparatory Academy falls within the wide middle of the Indiana distribution on both free-meal eligibility and the Resource Investment Index. Neither measure supplies an honest headline by itself. The useful distinctions are in the components: classroom staffing, counselor availability, attendance, gifted-program access, and district spending. Those fields can pull in opposite directions even when the overall percentile looks ordinary.
Attendance is a relative strength
7.0% of Herron Preparatory Academy students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 civil-rights collection. On its face, that is a comparatively low historical rate, though this page does not treat it as a current national benchmark or guarantee current-year performance. Here, attendance is a more distinctive signal than the presence or absence of any single specialist role.
Herron Preparatory Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Indianapolis, Indiana, enrolling 428 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.8:1 is larger than about 97% of Indiana schools and 50% above the 15.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 428 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Among 527 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #380, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and African American (33%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Herron Preparatory Academy spends $17,483 per pupil, 45% above the Indiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 23.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Indianapolis's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lillie Idella Kitley Intermediate (1,365 students): Herron Preparatory Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (23.8:1 vs 21:1).
Herron Preparatory Academy is a single-school charter district, so Herron Preparatory Academy 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 Herron Preparatory Academy compares
Herron Preparatory Academy on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.8:1 | ▲ 50% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.4% | ▼ 24% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 428 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.8:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
428
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.8:1
students per teacher
- 50% above state mean
Top 97% in Indiana - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,483
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 45.3%
African American 32.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.0%
Two or More 10.3%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 45.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.5, Herron Preparatory Academy is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Herron Preparatory Academy, which includes Herron Preparatory Academy.
$17,483
Per student
+45%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 47.7%
Federal 23.3%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Indianapolis
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lillie Idella Kitley Intermediate
Standard public school
1,365 students 21:1 students per teacher
Edgewood Intermediate School
Standard public school
1,300 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Creston Intermediate & Middle Schl
Standard public school
1,106 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Raymond Park Intermediate & Middle
Standard public school
1,079 students 14:1 students per teacher
Stonybrook Intermediate & Middle
Standard public school
1,043 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Paramount Brookside
Standard public school
843 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~428 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Herron Preparatory Academy's federal record.
- Compare Herron Preparatory Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Herron Preparatory Academy'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 Herron Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Herron Preparatory Academy?
Herron Preparatory Academy has 428 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Herron Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Herron Preparatory Academy is 23.8:1, which is 50% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Herron Preparatory Academy?
37.4% of students at Herron Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Herron Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Herron Preparatory Academy is White at 45.3% of enrollment, in Indianapolis, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Herron Preparatory Academy?
Herron Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Herron Preparatory Academy rank among elementary schools in Indianapolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Herron Preparatory Academy ranks #22 of 89 elementary 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 elementary schools in Indianapolis on the city page.
What other schools are in Herron Preparatory Academy?
None; Herron Preparatory Academy is a single-school charter district, and Herron Preparatory Academy 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.