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Decatur Central High School

Public Grades 9-12

322^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 415 Indiana High Schools

Better than 22% of Indiana high schools

Summary

Decatur Central High School is a comprehensive 9–12 school serving 1,974 students in the MSD Decatur Township district on the southwest side of Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2025–2026 it ranked 322nd of 415 Indiana high schools (22nd percentile, 1 star), while the district ranked 269th of 374 (28th percentile, 1 star). The school has earned 1 star in nine of the last ten reported years, with one exception in 2017–2018, when it reached the 30th percentile and 2 stars. About 56% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

One real strength is that 91.0% of students graduate — above Indiana's 89.7% and similar to Ben Davis High School's 89.8%. Test proficiency tells a different story: 36.4% of students were proficient in SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (state: 51.9%), and just 10.02% in SAT Math (state: 25.6%). Chronic absenteeism is the biggest red flag at 38.4%, more than double the state's 16.7% and far above Perry Meridian High School (28.0%), Plainfield High School (13.8%), and Avon High School (10.5%). Avon and Plainfield rank in the 93rd–94th percentile.

There are signs of movement. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 53.1% in 2020–2021, Biology proficiency rose from 7.42% to 25.35%, and reading gained about 8 points since 2022–2023, though math has stayed flat. With $11,783 spent per student and a 15:1 student-teacher ratio, funding and staffing look better than at several higher-performing neighbors, so attendance and math instruction may be the most useful levers. Subgroup results vary widely: English Language Learner students rank at the 75th percentile (4 stars), with African American and Hispanic students also above the school's overall standing. By contrast, George Washington High School ranks at the 2nd percentile, and Excel Center - Decatur is nearby but serves a different, alternative population rather than acting as a standard peer.

1,974

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,783

Per pupil spending ?

56.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5251 Kentucky Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46221

(317) 856-5288

District: MSD Decatur Township

Feeder schools for Decatur Central High School:

Elementary:	Blue Academy
	Gold Academy
	Lynwood Elementary
	Stephen Decatur Elementary School
	More...
	Valley Mills Elementary School
	West Newton Elementary School
Middle:	Decatur Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.5%

African American:

29.2%

Hispanic:

16.0%

See top rated Indiana high schools

Compare Decatur Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 24th percentile in 2016 → 22nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (24% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 17% Indiana)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg26%

Indiana avg39%

322^nd of 415

Indiana public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

269^th of 374MSD Decatur Township 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	322 of 415	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	346 of 429	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	343 of 432	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	348 of 398	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	311 of 409	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	300 of 388	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.1	308 of 389	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.5	270 of 385	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.2	299 of 380	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.2	298 of 394	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.2	288 of 400	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	28.9	287 of 379	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.8	294 of 353	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.6	281 of 373	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.9	284 of 364	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.9	259 of 362	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.0	291 of 364	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.0	310 of 360	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.8	299 of 354	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	39.4	267 of 349	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	24.9	305 of 349	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	52.4	46 of 133	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.7	71 of 132	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	77 of 132	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.4	82 of 125	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.1	48 of 125	61.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	31 of 122	74.6%	★★★★☆
2025	46.5	51 of 119	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	32 of 94	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.4	58 of 74	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	309 of 395	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	336 of 387	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	325 of 392	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	345 of 388	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	96 of 194	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	25.0	140 of 181	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.6	132 of 184	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	143 of 166	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.5	92 of 164	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	287 of 390	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	308 of 377	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	295 of 377	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	329 of 379	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	310 of 397	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	328 of 386	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	329 of 392	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	343 of 383	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	15.1	100 of 112	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	95 of 111	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	85 of 102	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	93 of 104	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.5	55 of 94	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	31.7	212 of 292	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.3	227 of 298	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.1	157 of 289	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.1	258 of 285	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	19.0	330 of 387	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	339 of 377	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	327 of 381	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	346 of 375	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	316 of 378	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)75th percentile+52 vs school

African American (2026)65th percentile+43 vs school

Hispanic (2026)51st percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)22nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)22nd percentile~ school

White (2026)15th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)11th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing36%-16 vs state

Biology25%

Mathematics10%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Decatur Central High School

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	ILEARN English Language Arts (2026)			ILEARN Math (2026)			ILEARN Biology (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Decatur Central High School	Public	9-12	5251 Kentucky Ave	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 856-5288	1,974	131	15.0	56.2%	938 (47.5%)	576 (29.2%)	316 (16.0%)	14 (0.7%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	121 (6.1%)	23.9	322^nd of 415 public high schools	22.4%		20	346^th of 429 public high schools	19.3%	24	36.4	10.0							25.4	$11,783	$1,314	$10,469
Decatur Township School for Excellence	Public	7-12	5106 S High School Rd	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 856-0900	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$00
Excel Center - Decatur	Public, Charter	9-12	5106 S. High School Rd.	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	Excel Center - Decatur	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 524-3770	259	8	32.3	71.4%	45 (17.4%)	155 (59.8%)	41 (15.8%)	7 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)								(n/a)
Ben Davis University High School	Public	10-12	1155 S High School Rd	Indianapolis	46241	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 988-7800	375	17	22.0	73.6%	77 (20.5%)	125 (33.3%)	164 (43.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	72.6	69^th of 415 public high schools	83.4%		61.8	128^th of 429 public high schools	70.2%	59	60.8	25.0								$15,391	$1,516	$13,875
Plainfield High School	Public	9-12	1 Red Pride Dr	Plainfield	46168	Hendricks County	Plainfield Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(317) 839-7711	1,856	86	21.5	29.7%	1,408 (75.9%)	177 (9.5%)	128 (6.9%)	61 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (4.4%)	86.1	26^th of 415 public high schools	93.7%		80.6	40^th of 429 public high schools	90.7%	14	69.2	43.2							57.5	$9,813	$368	$9,445
Perry Meridian High School	Public	9-12	401 W Meridian School Rd	Indianapolis	46217	Marion County	Perry Township Schools	No	No	No	No	(317) 789-4400	2,455	131	18.7	58.9%	1,007 (41.0%)	243 (9.9%)	350 (14.3%)	732 (29.8%)	1 (0.0%)	1 (0.0%)	121 (4.9%)	50.9	192^nd of 415 public high schools	53.7%		54.5	171^st of 429 public high schools	60.1%	21	47.2	17.5							51.0	$10,899	$1,039	$9,860
Achieve Virtual Education Academy	Public, Virtual	7-12	1250 N High School Rd	Indianapolis	46214	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	Yes	No	(317) 988-7144	668	27	24.5	42.8%	344 (51.5%)	136 (20.4%)	142 (21.3%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.0%)	32.1	292^nd of 415 public high schools	29.6%		26.9	316^th of 429 public high schools	26.3%	24	37.5	7.5			20.0			8.3	60.0	$8,036	$4,207	$3,829
George Washington High School	Public	9-12	2215 W Washington St	Indianapolis	46222	Marion County	Indianapolis Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 693-5555	729	50	14.5	59.1%	100 (13.7%)	317 (43.5%)	275 (37.7%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.1%)	5.8	408^th of 415 public high schools	1.7%		5.5	413^th of 429 public high schools	3.7%	5	8.0	2.2							7.3	$24,623	$4,875	$19,749
Ben Davis High School	Public	10-12	1200 N Girls Sch Rd	Indianapolis	46214	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 988-7000	3,315	180	18.4	69.1%	606 (18.3%)	1,291 (38.9%)	1,225 (37.0%)	12 (0.4%)	1 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	178 (5.4%)	19.1	334^th of 415 public high schools	19.5%		22	333^rd of 429 public high schools	22.4%	1	28.6	10.5							7.7	$13,675	$1,059	$12,616
Area 31 Career & Technical Center	Public	6-12	1200 N High School Rd	Indianapolis	46214	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 988-7230	0	10	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Decatur Central High School

What district is Decatur Central High School in?

MSD Decatur Township

Is Decatur Central High School a good school?

Decatur Central High School ranks in the bottom 22.4% of Indiana high schools.

What schools feed into Decatur Central High School?

Decatur Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blue Academy
Elementary : Gold Academy
Elementary : Lynwood Elementary
Elementary : Stephen Decatur Elementary School
Elementary : Valley Mills Elementary School
Elementary : West Newton Elementary School
Middle : Decatur Middle School

How many students attend Decatur Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,974 students attended Decatur Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Decatur Central High School?

Students at Decatur Central High School are 48% White, 29% African American, 16% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresNewSep 25, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 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.