Enrollment
2,455
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 180882001464
Perry Meridian High School — Indianapolis, IN
Federal NCES profile for Perry Meridian High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 25
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 25
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)
125.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.9%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Meridian 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
Perry Meridian High School reports 2,455 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 125.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 7% above the Indiana average and 2% above the national baseline. The school offers 20 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 409 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.1% 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 48/100 (D), 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 Perry Meridian 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 17% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.9% | ▲ 7% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,455 | top 99% | — | — |
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
52.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 7% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Indiana — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.1%
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
$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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 409 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
240
in-school suspensions + 184 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 28 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,455 Top 99% in Indiana — larger than 1% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 125.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.9% +7% vs state
NCES ID 180882001464
Student demographics
White 41.0%
Asian 29.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
African American 9.9%
Two or More 4.9%
Largest group: White at 41.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 20
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 409:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.1%
In-school suspensions 240
Out-of-school suspensions 184
Expulsions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Township Schools, which includes Perry Meridian High School.
$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
- 2,431
- 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
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
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 Perry Meridian High School
How many students attend Perry Meridian High School?
Perry Meridian High School has 2,455 students enrolled. It is a high school in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Meridian High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Meridian High School is 18.8:1, which is 17% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perry Meridian High School?
52.9% of students at Perry Meridian High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Meridian High School?
The largest demographic group at Perry Meridian High School is White at 41.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Indianapolis, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Meridian High School?
Perry Meridian High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.