Enrollment
5,376
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180009802474 Charter school
Indiana Connections Academy — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for Indiana Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 61
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: Indiana Connections 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)
147.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
39.3:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+144% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.9%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Indiana Connections 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
Indiana Connections Academy reports 5,376 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 147.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 39.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 144% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 147% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% below the Indiana average and 29% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Indiana Connections Academy spends $8,562 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.5% from local sources (property taxes), 90.4% from the state, and 9.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), 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 Indiana Connections 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 | 39.3:1 | ▲ 144% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.9% | ▼ 25% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 5,376 | top 100% | — | — |
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
36.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% 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
39.3:1
students per teacher
— 144% above state mean
Top 99% in Indiana — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
15.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$8,562
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors19.0 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 5,376 Top 100% in Indiana — larger than 0% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 147.0
Students per teacher 39.3:1 +144% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.9% -25% vs state
NCES ID 180009802474
Student demographics
White 74.3%
African American 9.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 74.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 19.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Indiana Connections Academy, which includes Indiana Connections Academy.
$8,562
Per student
-41%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-56%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.5%
State 90.4%
Federal 9.1%
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.
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
Robey Elementary School
Standard public school
847 students 15.6:1 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 Indiana Connections Academy
How many students attend Indiana Connections Academy?
Indiana Connections Academy has 5,376 students enrolled. It is a other school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Indiana Connections Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Indiana Connections Academy is 39.3:1, which is 144% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 147% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Indiana Connections Academy?
36.9% of students at Indiana Connections Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Indiana Connections Academy?
The largest demographic group at Indiana Connections Academy is White at 74.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Indiana Connections Academy?
Indiana Connections Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.