Enrollment
617
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180882002119
Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 56
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: Perry Township 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.9%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Meridian 6th Grade 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
Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy reports 617 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Indiana average and 21% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 617 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Perry Township Schools spends $13,927 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.7% from local sources (property taxes), 58.3% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Perry Meridian 6th Grade 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.9% | ▲ 27% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 617 | top 74% | — | — |
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
62.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 51% in Indiana — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.5%
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
$13,927
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 617 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
82
in-school suspensions + 108 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 617 Top 74% in Indiana — larger than 26% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.9% +27% vs state
NCES ID 180882002119
Student demographics
Asian 36.6%
White 31.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
African American 10.7%
Two or More 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Asian at 36.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 617:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.5%
In-school suspensions 82
Out-of-school suspensions 108
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Township Schools, which includes Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy.
$13,927
Per student
-4%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.7%
State 58.3%
Federal 16.0%
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
- 2,455
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,431
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
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 Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy
How many students attend Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy?
Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy has 617 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy is 15.5:1, which is 4% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 3% 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 Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy?
62.9% of students at Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy?
The largest demographic group at Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy is Asian at 36.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy?
Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.