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The Nature School of Central Indiana

Q: Is The Nature School of Central Indiana a good school?

The Nature School of Central Indiana ranks 609 th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

609^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

The Nature School of Central Indiana is a public charter elementary school serving grades K-8 in Indianapolis, Indiana, with 145 students. While the school has a district rank of 176 out of 380 in Indiana and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, it faces several key challenges that set it apart from many of the nearby public schools.

One of the school's most significant issues is its high chronic absenteeism rates, which have ranged from 17.8% to 32.4% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's test scores on the ILEARN assessments are generally below the state averages, especially in math, with only 24.21% of students proficient or better in ILEARN Math across all grades in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 41.5% for 5th grade. Interestingly, the school has very low rates of free and reduced lunch recipients, ranging from 3.45% to 7.04% over the past few years, much lower than the nearby Indianapolis Public Schools and other surrounding districts.

When compared to the nearby public schools, such as Circle City Preparatory Elementary School and Mary Evelyn Castle Elementary School, The Nature School of Central Indiana generally performs worse on test scores and has higher chronic absenteeism rates. However, its relatively low spending per student, which has increased from $7,415 in 2021-2022 to $10,657 in 2023-2024, may indicate challenges in securing adequate funding and resources to support student learning. Overall, the school's declining statewide ranking and uneven performance across grade levels suggest it is struggling to keep pace with many of the other elementary schools in the The Nature School of Central Indiana district and the surrounding area.

175

Students ?

29.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,657

Per pupil spending ?

5.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6102 Boy Scout Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46226

(317) 721-7282

District: The Nature School of Central Indiana

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.3%

Two or more races:

13.7%

Hispanic:

3.4%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare The Nature School of Central Indiana to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2022 → 39th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2022

!Large classes — about 29 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

Indiana avg38%

Elementary school

609^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 13 pts since 2022

From top 48% (2022) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

173^rd of 480

Indiana public middle schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 11 pts since 2022

From top 26% (2022) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

176^th of 380The Nature School of Central Indiana among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	609 of 1005	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.3	775 of 1011	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.1	696 of 1016	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.5	490 of 1020	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	173 of 480	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.3	346 of 491	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	59.9	185 of 489	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.2	125 of 490	74.5%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Science59%

English Language Arts40%

Social Studies29%-10 vs state

Math24%

★

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Schools Near The Nature School of Central Indiana

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)							ILEARN Math (2025)							ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
The Nature School of Central Indiana	Public, Charter	K-8	6102 Boy Scout Rd	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	The Nature School of Central Indiana	Yes	No	No	No	(317) 721-7282	175	6	29.1	5.1%	137 (78.3%)	4 (2.3%)	6 (3.4%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (13.7%)	41.2	609^th of 1005 public elementary schools	39.4%		24.3	775^th of 1011 public elementary schools	23.3%	166	18.2	28.6	52.4	53.9	36.4	57.1	40.0	36.4	28.6	14.3	15.4	27.3	21.4	24.2	42.9	76.9	59.3	28.6	$10,657	$506	$10,151
Harrison Hill Elementary School	Public	1-6	7510 E 53rd St	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 964-4300	750	42	17.7	69.5%	45 (6.0%)	306 (40.8%)	361 (48.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.1%)	11.8	897^th of 1005 public elementary schools	10.7%		9.3	941^st of 1011 public elementary schools	6.9%	44	16.3	16.1	19.9	13.3			16.4	22.0	23.5	16.2	16.4			19.7	14.2	9.5	12.0	14.8	$12,137	$2,034	$10,103
Brook Park Elementary School	Public	1-6	5259 N David St	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 964-4100	637	44	14.4	74.7%	27 (4.2%)	441 (69.2%)	119 (18.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (7.5%)	8.2	949^th of 1005 public elementary schools	5.6%		6.4	980^th of 1011 public elementary schools	3.1%	31	12.4	7.2	4.8	23.7			11.8	12.3	12.4	4.8	18.5			11.8	12.4	14.9	13.6	1.9	$12,722	$2,737	$9,986
Skiles Test Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7001 Johnson Rd	Indianapolis	46220	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 964-4700	558	34	16.4	59.7%	71 (12.7%)	212 (38.0%)	226 (40.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	46 (8.2%)	19.9	815^th of 1005 public elementary schools	18.9%		13.2	898^th of 1011 public elementary schools	11.2%	83	19.1	28.8	22.2	26.7			24.5	27.9	28.8	15.3	19.8			22.9	29.1	17.4	23.0	12.5	$12,588	$1,515	$11,073
Crestview Elementary School	Public	1-6	7600 E 71st St	Indianapolis	46256	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 964-4200	591	37	16.1	52.6%	123 (20.8%)	311 (52.6%)	89 (15.1%)	16 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.8%)	36.7	661^st of 1005 public elementary schools	34.2%		38.9	642^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	36.5%	19	31.9	30.3	38.8	29.6			32.6	31.9	39.5	36.9	19.4			32.2	30.6	29.6	30.1	37.9	$12,845	$1,451	$11,394
Robert Lee Frost School 106 - a STEM School	Public	PK, KG-5	5301 Roxbury Rd	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	Indianapolis Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 226-4106	308	19	15.9	69.8%	9 (2.9%)	203 (65.9%)	83 (26.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	3	1004^th of 1005 public elementary schools	0.1%		4.7	1001^st of 1011 public elementary schools	1.0%	3	4.4	5.6	0.0				3.2	10.9	7.4	1.8				6.5	1.9		1.9	0.0	$20,985	$3,731	$17,254
Forest Glen Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	6333 Lee Rd	Indianapolis	46236	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	Yes	No	No	(317) 964-4900	971	44	22.0	46.1%	228 (23.5%)	148 (15.2%)	525 (54.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (7.2%)	69.6	294^th of 1005 public elementary schools	70.7%		83	155^th of 1011 public elementary schools	84.7%	139	46.0	41.2	55.8	56.5			49.3	46.8	45.6	56.6	48.9			49.3	43.0	55.4	48.5	54.9	$11,167	$814	$10,352
PLA@Promise Prep	Public, Charter	K-5	4430 N Post Rd	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	Promise Prep	Yes	No	No	No	(317) 998-4643	144	15	9.6	65.3%	1 (0.7%)	60 (41.7%)	80 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	4.1	997^th of 1005 public elementary schools	0.8%		5.3	993^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	1.8%	4	0.0	12.5	0.0				3.8	4.2	12.5	7.1				7.4	6.3		6.3	7.7	$22,966	$5,696	$17,270
Circle City Preparatory Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-6	4002 N Franklin Road	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	Circle City Prep Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(317) 721-8515	321	20	16.0	94.7%	4 (1.2%)	249 (77.6%)	59 (18.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.2%)	14	873^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	13.1%		19.6	820^th of 1011 public elementary schools	18.9%	53	21.6	12.2	14.3				16.1	29.4	34.7	22.5				28.9	4.1		4.1	4.1	$13,868	$3,180	$10,687
Charles Warren Fairbanks School 105 - an Exploratory School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	8620 Montery Rd	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	Indianapolis Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(317) 226-4105	398	30	13.2	61.6%	7 (1.8%)	175 (44.0%)	207 (52.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.0%)	5.8	982^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	2.3%		4.7	1002^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	0.9%	20	3.1	10.8	6.0				6.7	20.0	9.1	8.0				12.7	13.9		13.9	6.0	$17,948	$3,423	$14,525

Frequently Asked Questions about The Nature School of Central Indiana

What district is The Nature School of Central Indiana in?

The Nature School of Central Indiana

Is The Nature School of Central Indiana a good school?

The Nature School of Central Indiana ranks 609^th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of The Nature School of Central Indiana?

Students at The Nature School of Central Indiana are 78% White, 14% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend The Nature School of Central Indiana?

In the 2024-25 school year, 175 students attended The Nature School of Central Indiana.

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 16, 2025

2024–25 ILEARN & SAT test scoresJul 16, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.