Enrollment
587
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180021502701 Charter school
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 16/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 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 →
School address
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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.1%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High 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
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School reports 587 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Indiana average and 43% above the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 587 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 63.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School spends $14,516 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.9% from local sources (property taxes), 60.5% from the state, and 19.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.1% | ▲ 50% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 587 | top 71% | — | — |
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
74.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 27% in Indiana — lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
63.2%
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
$14,516
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 587 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 143 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 587 Top 71% in Indiana — larger than 29% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.1% +50% vs state
NCES ID 180021502701
Student demographics
African American 71.0%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
White 2.7%
Two or More 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 71.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 587:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 63.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 143
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School, which includes James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School.
$14,516
Per student
0%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 60.5%
Federal 19.6%
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 high schools in Indianapolis
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
North Central High School
Standard public school
3,682 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Franklin Central High School
Standard public school
3,438 students 21:1 students per teacher
Warren Central High School
Standard public school
3,391 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Ben Davis High School
Standard public school
3,315 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Pike High School
Standard public school
3,188 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Lawrence North High School
Standard public school
2,799 students 19.7:1 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 James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School
How many students attend James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School?
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School has 587 students enrolled. It is a high school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School is 13.9:1, which is 14% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 13% 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 James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School?
74.1% of students at James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School?
The largest demographic group at James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School is African American at 71.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School?
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (F) based on 5 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.