State profile · IN

Indiana Public Schools

Every public school, district, and the headline NCES measures for Indiana — 414 districts, drawn straight from federal records.

1,865
Schools
1,033,761
Students
16.1:1
Avg ratio
49.5%
Free lunch

The state in one line

Indiana runs 1,865 public schools across 414 districts, with a 16.1:1 average classroom and 49.5% of students on subsidized lunch.

1,865
public schools
414
school districts
16.1:1
avg student–teacher
49.5%
free/reduced lunch

How Indiana ranks nationally

Per-pupil spending

$12,079

#45 of 51 · highest-spending

Average class size

16.1:1

#35 of 51 · smallest classes

Public schools

1,865

#19 of 51 · most schools

On subsidized lunch

49.5%

#20 of 43 · highest share

Indiana ranks #45 of 51 nationally on per-pupil spending and #35 of 51 on average class size, derived live by comparing it against every other state. Ranked among all 50 states + DC from NCES enrollment/staffing and the F-33 finance survey. Lunch share is an indicator of student need, not of quality.

What the NCES Data Says About Indiana Schools

Indiana operates 1,865 public K-12 schools organised into 414 independent school districts serving 1,033,761 students, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data 2024-25. The largest district, Fort Wayne Community Schools, enrolls 28,612 pupils across 50 schools at $13,247 per student, while smaller rural districts can run fewer than a dozen campuses. This fragmentation — inherited from century-old township governance patterns in many states — is why per-pupil spending, class sizes, and programme availability vary dramatically inside a single state boundary.

Statewide, the average student-teacher ratio is 16.1:1, a useful benchmark for comparing any individual district or school on PlainSchools. Free-lunch eligibility averages 49.5% across Indiana public schools, a federal indicator of economic need that drives Title I funding allocations. The district table below is sortable by enrollment, school count, and per-pupil expenditure — the three fields that best predict a district's financial and demographic profile. For schools specifically, use the rankings links above to view per-category leaderboards covering spending, class size, best schools by composite quality score, chronic absenteeism, and funding-equity distribution within the state.

Every district figure here pulls from two distinct federal surveys: enrollment and demographic data come from the NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school membership and directory), while per-pupil spending, teacher salaries, and federal/state/local revenue shares originate in the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (typically FY 2021-22). Civil-rights indicators — gifted enrollment, AP course counts, counselor staffing, chronic absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions — come from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Cross-referencing these three sources is what lets PlainSchools produce composite scores and equity rankings that single-source tools cannot.

Indiana's average class size vs. every US state

Average students per teacher, state by state (lower means smaller classes)

16 smaller classes than 31% of 51 US states

11–12: 7 US states (14%). Below this entry. 12–13: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 13–14: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 14–15: 10 US states (20%). Below this entry. 15–16: 5 US states (10%). Below this entry. 16–17: 4 US states (8%). This entry sits in this band. 17–18: 4 US states (8%). Above this entry. 18–19: 5 US states (10%). Above this entry. 20–21: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 21–22: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 22–23: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 23–24: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. This state 11 24 every US state, by average class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

Or browse all Indiana schools

Federal data — no proprietary formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal survey data — enrollment, staffing, finance, and demographics from NCES — without a composite rating on top. The insights below are computed directly from those datasets; every number traces to a cited source.

Indiana per-pupil spending varies 14.5× across districts

Per-pupil spending in Indiana ranges from $3,679 (lowest district) to $53,483 (highest), a spread of $49,804. That ratio is among the widest in the country and predicts large gaps in class size, programme availability, and counselor:student ratios that compound across a 12-year K-12 career. High-spending districts typically draw on higher property tax bases, a structural feature of state education finance under the federal Title I framework that sets the floor but not the ceiling.

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Local Education Agency Finance Survey (F-33) · FY 2021-22

Average Indiana student-teacher ratio is 16.1:1 — near the U.S. average of approximately 16:1

Student-teacher ratio is the simplest staffing metric reported on NCES Common Core of Data, but it does not capture push-in specialists, intervention staff, English Language Learner aides, special education co-teachers, or counseling and support staff. Variation between districts within the state is wider than the state-average figure suggests — large urban districts may run 20:1 while small rural districts run 10:1, both inside the same average. Class-load comparisons are most meaningful at the district or school level, not the state aggregate.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data — Public School Universe School-level enrollment and staffing · 2024-25

School Spending

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Schools ranked by per-pupil expenditure

District Spending

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Districts ranked by per-pupil expenditure

Largest Schools

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Schools ranked by student enrollment

Funding Equity

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Districts ranked by funding equity score

Best Student-Teacher Ratios

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Schools with the smallest class sizes

Best Schools

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Top-rated schools by quality score

Best Districts

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Top-ranked districts by quality score

Chronic Absenteeism

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Schools ranked by absenteeism rates

Largest districts in Indiana

By total K-12 enrollment — NCES Common Core 2024-25

Diverse district mix
Fort Wayne Community Schools28,612Indianapolis Public Schools22,027Evansville Vanderburgh School …21,739Hamilton Southeastern Schools21,612Msd Lawrence Township16,414Perry Township Schools16,222Msd Wayne Township16,086Carmel Clay Schools16,072South Bend Community School Corp15,444Vigo County School Corp13,787
# District Enrollment
1 Fort Wayne Community Schools Fort Wayne 28,612
2 Indianapolis Public Schools Indianapolis 22,027
3 Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp Evansville 21,739
4 Hamilton Southeastern Schools Fishers 21,612
5 Msd Lawrence Township Indianapolis 16,414
6 Perry Township Schools Indianapolis 16,222
7 Msd Wayne Township Indianapolis 16,086
8 Carmel Clay Schools Carmel 16,072
9 South Bend Community School Corp South Bend 15,444
10 Vigo County School Corp Terre Haute 13,787
11 Tippecanoe School Corp Lafayette 13,616
12 Msd Warren Township Indianapolis 11,824
13 Bartholomew Con School Corp Columbus 11,634
14 School City of Hammond Hammond 11,505
15 Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp Mishawaka 11,360
16 Elkhart Community Schools Elkhart 11,318
17 New Albany-Floyd Co Con Sch New Albany 11,270
18 Franklin Township Com Sch Corp Indianapolis 11,212
19 Msd Pike Township Indianapolis 10,683
20 Noblesville Schools Noblesville 10,578
Show the next 80 districts
# District Enrollment
21 Avon Community School Corp Avon 10,542
22 Msd Washington Township Indianapolis 10,512
23 Monroe County Community Sch Corp Bloomington 10,510
24 Greater Clark County Schools Jeffersonville 10,269
25 Brownsburg Community School Corp Brownsburg 10,172
26 Warrick County School Corp Boonville 10,122
27 East Allen County Schools New Haven 10,090
28 Center Grove Community School Corp Greenwood 9,537
29 Lake Central School Corporation Saint John 9,293
30 Westfield-Washington Schools Westfield 9,180
31 Crown Point Community School Corp Crown Point 9,064
32 Northwest Allen County Schools Fort Wayne 8,184
33 Zionsville Community Schools Zionsville 7,906
34 Msd Southwest Allen County Schls Fort Wayne 7,853
35 Lafayette School Corporation Lafayette 7,368
36 Union School Corporation Modoc 7,238
37 Portage Township Schools Portage 6,742
38 Warsaw Community Schools Warsaw 6,734
39 Msd Decatur Township Indianapolis 6,709
40 Valparaiso Community Schools Valparaiso 6,382
41 Clark-Pleasant Community Sch Corp Whiteland 6,371
42 Goshen Community Schools Goshen 6,286
43 Laporte Community School Corp Laporte 6,227
44 Anderson Community School Corp Anderson 6,196
45 Merrillville Community School Corp Merrillville 6,004
46 Plainfield Community School Corp Plainfield 5,854
47 Indiana Connections Academy Indianapolis 5,784
48 Duneland School Corporation Chesterton 5,724
49 Concord Community Schools Elkhart 5,348
50 Seymour Community Schools Seymour 5,343
51 Kokomo School Corporation Kokomo 5,238
52 Michigan City Area Schools Michigan City 5,193
53 School City of Mishawaka Mishawaka 5,128
54 Muncie Community Schools Muncie 5,080
55 Franklin Community School Corp Franklin 4,938
56 Huntington Co Com Sch Corp Warren 4,916
57 Mt Vernon Community School Corp Fortville 4,677
58 Richmond Community Schools Richmond 4,526
59 South Madison Com Sch Corp Pendleton 4,456
60 Greenfield-Central Com Schools Greenfield 4,393
61 Logansport Community Sch Corp Logansport 4,393
62 Mooresville Con School Corp Mooresville 4,356
63 Middlebury Community Schools Middlebury 4,231
64 School Town of Munster Munster 4,136
65 Gary Community School Corp Gary 4,076
66 Msd Martinsville Schools Martinsville 4,053
67 Clay Community Schools Brazil 4,040
68 Shelbyville Central Schools Shelbyville 4,036
69 Clarksville Community School Corp Clarksville 4,027
70 School City of Hobart Hobart 4,014
71 Greenwood Community Sch Corp Greenwood 3,963
72 Jennings County School Corporation North Vernon 3,889
73 Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp New Palestine 3,863
74 Sunman-Dearborn Com Sch Corp St Leon 3,825
75 Marion Community Schools Marion 3,702
76 North Lawrence Com Schools Bedford 3,659
77 Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist Waterloo 3,641
78 Whitley County Con Schools Columbia City 3,617
79 Lebanon Community School Corp Lebanon 3,486
80 East Noble School Corporation Kendallville 3,417
81 School City of East Chicago East Chicago 3,348
82 Plymouth Community School Corp Plymouth 3,275
83 Greater Jasper Consolidated Schs Jasper 3,273
84 Tri-Creek School Corporation Lowell 3,269
85 Fayette County School Corporation Connersville 3,253
86 Kankakee Valley School Corp Wheatfield 3,243
87 Silver Creek School Corporation Sellersburg 3,144
88 Frankton-Lapel Community Schools Anderson 3,090
89 South Harrison Com Schools Corydon 3,079
90 Community Schools of Frankfort Frankfort 3,011
91 School Town of Highland Highland 3,007
92 Jay School Corporation Portland 3,000
93 New Castle Community School Corp New Castle 2,939
94 Wa-Nee Community Schools Nappanee 2,933
95 New Prairie United School Corp New Carlisle 2,910
96 Beech Grove City Schools Beech Grove 2,843
97 Wawasee Community School Corp Syracuse 2,838
98 Vincennes Community School Corp Vincennes 2,836
99 Richland-Bean Blossom C S C Ellettsville 2,738
100 Hanover Community School Corp Cedar Lake 2,734

Top 100 of 414 districts by enrollment. Browse all districts →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 Local Education Agency Universe Federal universe survey of all U.S. school districts

Largest Schools in Indiana

Indiana Connections Academy
Indianapolis — other
5,376
students
Indiana Gateway Digital Academy
Clarksville — other
5,318
students
Carmel High School
Carmel — high
5,239
students
Indiana Digital Jr and High School
Modoc — other
4,166
students
Penn High School
Mishawaka — high
3,687
students
North Central High School
Indianapolis — high
3,682
students
Fishers High School
Fishers — high
3,590
students
Avon High School
Avon — high
3,523
students
Hamilton Southeastern Hs
Fishers — high
3,504
students
Franklin Central High School
Indianapolis — high
3,438
students

Other States

Hawaii
HI public schools
Idaho
ID public schools
Illinois
IL public schools
Iowa
IA public schools
Kansas
KS public schools
Kentucky
KY public schools

Side-by-side: Compare Fort Wayne Community Schools vs Indianapolis Public Schools → · Compare any two districts

Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25, NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Using the Indiana data

Indiana's 1,865 schools sit inside 414 districts — compare at the district level first.

  • District boundaries decide enrollment: shortlist 2-3 districts on spending, ratio, and size before comparing individual schools. Compare districts
  • Check how Indiana distributes money across its districts — funding equity varies more within states than between them. Funding equity
  • Verify any school's federal record (enrollment, staffing, CRDC flags) before a visit or enrollment decision. Look up a school

Figures are the federal record (CCD 2024-25, F-33 FY 2021-22, CRDC 2021-22) — they lag the current school year and describe reported data, not school quality. PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public schools are in Indiana?

Indiana has 1,865 public schools across 414 school districts, serving 1,033,761 students.

What is the average student-teacher ratio in Indiana?

The average student-teacher ratio in Indiana public schools is 16.1:1. This varies by district — use the district table below to compare.

What percentage of Indiana students qualify for free lunch?

49.5% of students in Indiana qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need used for Title I funding.

What is the largest school district in Indiana?

The largest school district in Indiana is Fort Wayne Community Schools with 28,612 students across 50 schools.

Why does per-pupil spending vary so much across Indiana districts?

Indiana districts spend between $3,679 and $53,483 per pupil — a 14.5× range. Most U.S. states fund schools through a mix of state aid (typically 40-60%), local property tax (30-50%), and federal Title I (5-15%). Districts in higher property-value areas raise more per pupil from local taxes, while state aid is intended to partially equalise but rarely closes the full gap. The federal F-33 finance survey reports actual current expenditures including instructional and support services.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Top schools in Indiana by enrollment

Largest K-12 public schools by total students enrolled

students

What this shows The largest public schools in Indiana by enrollment — often statewide virtual academies or large consolidated campuses, so size here reflects reach, not quality.

Source NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) As of 2024-25

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) — Public school universe · 2023-2024 Public K-12 school enrollment, demographics, and operational data; collected annually by NCES from state education agencies.