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Valley Mills Elementary School

Public Grades K-6

822^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Valley Mills Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades K-6 in the MSD Decatur Township district in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has 581 students and has consistently been ranked in the bottom 20% of Indiana elementary schools over the past 10 years, receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Valley Mills Elementary faces significant challenges, including high rates of chronic absenteeism and a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reaching over 80% in the 2023-2024 school year.

Academically, Valley Mills Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages on ILEARN assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 24.34% of all students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 25.58% for the district and 40.3% statewide. In math, the school's proficiency rate was 21.38%, compared to 22.53% for the district and 51.5% statewide for 3rd grade. Additionally, Valley Mills Elementary has significantly higher chronic absenteeism rates than the surrounding schools, ranging from 17.8% to 30.4% in recent years, compared to 17.8% for the other schools in the district.

While Valley Mills Elementary and the other MSD Decatur Township schools perform poorly compared to the state averages, the nearby MSD Wayne Township and Perry Township schools generally outperform the Decatur Township schools, suggesting that factors beyond just the district may be contributing to the academic challenges at Valley Mills. Additionally, the Decatur High Ability Academy, a small, specialized school within the MSD Decatur Township district, stands out as a high-performing outlier, with proficiency rates consistently above 70% in all subject areas and grade levels, indicating the district's capacity to support high-achieving students.

554

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,179

Per pupil spending ?

65.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5101 S High School Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46221

(317) 856-6363

District: MSD Decatur Township

Students who attend Valley Mills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Decatur Middle School
High:	Decatur Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.2%

African American:

24.5%

Hispanic:

13.7%

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Compare Valley Mills Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (21% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg24%

Indiana avg38%

822^nd of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Elementary Schools in the MSD Decatur Township

275^th of 380MSD 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
2025	19.1	822 of 1005	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	828 of 1011	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	802 of 1016	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	810 of 1020	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	761 of 1016	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	850 of 1031	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	797 of 1027	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.0	727 of 1033	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	41.5	717 of 1046	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.0	763 of 1040	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	39.7	748 of 1036	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.5	750 of 1035	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	44.2	684 of 1015	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.0	682 of 1025	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	74.9	218 of 1009	78.4%	★★★★☆
2009	87.4	61 of 1003	93.9%	★★★★★
2008	76.8	175 of 996	82.4%	★★★★☆
2007	78.9	149 of 985	84.9%	★★★★☆
2006	73.9	200 of 961	79.2%	★★★★☆
2005	69.2	267 of 959	72.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%

Math21%

Social Studies20%-18 vs state

Science15%

★

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Schools Near Valley Mills Elementary 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 (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 All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th 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
Valley Mills Elementary School	Public	K-6	5101 S High School Rd	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 856-6363	554	39	14.2	65.7%	289 (52.2%)	136 (24.5%)	76 (13.7%)	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (7.8%)	19.1	822^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	18.2%		18.8	828^th of 1011 public elementary schools	18.1%	6	22.2	15.2	24.7	34.7	24.3	23.5	22.7	16.5	23.6	21.4	18.2	12.5	15.2	20.0	$11,179	$1,650	$9,529
Decatur High Ability Academy	Public	3-6	5106 South High School Road	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 856-5265	103	5	20.6	48.5%	60 (58.3%)	21 (20.4%)	11 (10.7%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.7%)	98	7^th of 1005 public elementary schools	99.3%		99.3	1^st of 1011 public elementary schools	99.9%	6	86.4	69.6	68.2	72.7	74.0	95.5	87.0	68.2	87.9	85.0	87.5	84.9	86.0	72.7	$8,921	$1,705	$7,216
Blue Academy	Public	K-6	5650 Mann Rd	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 856-4100	687	45	15.2	61.0%	266 (38.7%)	304 (44.3%)	68 (9.9%)	9 (1.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.4%)	31	722^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	28.2%		32	708^th of 1011 public elementary schools	30.0%	14	35.2	24.0	37.5	37.4	33.4	38.6	31.7	24.3	17.6	27.9	25.2	27.5	26.3	20.9	$10,867	$1,497	$9,370
Gold Academy	Public	K-6	5650 Mann Rd	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 856-0400	529	40	13.2	61.4%	224 (42.3%)	160 (30.2%)	92 (17.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.6%)	20.2	813^th of 1005 public elementary schools	19.1%		18.9	826^th of 1011 public elementary schools	18.3%	13	19.0	25.0	22.5	23.4	22.5	31.7	37.5	20.0	12.5	26.4	26.1	7.8	18.4	21.3	$13,810	$1,956	$11,854
Lynwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4640 Santa Fe Dr	Indianapolis	46241	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 243-7559	583	42	13.8	65.5%	244 (41.9%)	156 (26.8%)	129 (22.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.9%)	14.6	865^th of 1005 public elementary schools	13.9%		10.3	929^th of 1011 public elementary schools	8.1%	64	15.9	21.9	17.5	19.0	18.6	10.9	25.0	17.5	22.4	18.9	27.0	10.3	19.0	14.3	$11,079	$1,465	$9,614
West Newton Elementary School	Public	K-6	7529 Mooresville Rd	West Newton	46183	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 856-5237	559	36	15.5	62.6%	190 (34.0%)	242 (43.3%)	87 (15.6%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.3%)	32.2	706^th of 1005 public elementary schools	29.8%		29.3	736^th of 1011 public elementary schools	27.2%	30	27.9	16.9	25.5	38.4	27.8	36.8	16.7	35.1	34.3	31.0	18.0	33.3	26.6	26.6	$12,088	$1,559	$10,529
Stephen Decatur Elementary School	Public	K-6	3425 S Foltz St	Indianapolis	46221	Marion County	MSD Decatur Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 241-0183	496	34	14.5	70.8%	273 (55.0%)	60 (12.1%)	121 (24.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.1%)	15	861^st of 1005 public elementary schools	14.3%		14.4	874^th of 1011 public elementary schools	13.6%	13	8.7	20.5	14.5	26.7	17.5	17.4	21.7	12.9	11.7	16.4	25.3	23.3	24.5	21.0	$12,088	$1,948	$10,140
Stout Field Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3820 W Bradbury	Indianapolis	46241	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 988-6800	617	41	15.0	70.2%	254 (41.2%)	50 (8.1%)	263 (42.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.6%)	26.2	766^th of 1005 public elementary schools	23.8%		20.2	812^th of 1011 public elementary schools	19.7%	46	17.2	27.6	30.8	29.0	25.9	37.6	33.3	11.0	13.2	24.2	25.6	40.8	32.7	22.0	$14,398	$2,030	$12,368
Maplewood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1643 Dunlap Ave	Indianapolis	46241	Marion County	MSD Wayne Township	No	No	No	Yes	(317) 988-6600	714	47	15.1	71.7%	212 (29.7%)	112 (15.7%)	350 (49.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.2%)	14.3	868^th of 1005 public elementary schools	13.6%		11.7	912^th of 1011 public elementary schools	9.8%	44	17.0	22.2	7.8	19.2	16.4	19.0	33.3	10.7	14.4	18.9	22.2	25.0	23.7	9.7	$13,809	$2,133	$11,677
Rosa Parks Kindergarten	Public	PK-K	7525 Wellingshire Blvd.	Indianapolis	46217	Marion County	Perry Township Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 789-3771	295	17	16.8	61.7%	93 (31.5%)	45 (15.3%)	40 (13.6%)	98 (33.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.4%)								(n/a)															$12,405	$972	$11,433

Frequently Asked Questions about Valley Mills Elementary School

What district is Valley Mills Elementary School in?

MSD Decatur Township

Is Valley Mills Elementary School a good school?

Valley Mills Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.2% of Indiana elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Valley Mills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Valley Mills Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Decatur Middle School
High : Decatur Central High School

How many students attend Valley Mills Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 554 students attended Valley Mills Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Valley Mills Elementary School?

Students at Valley Mills Elementary School are 52% White, 25% African American, 14% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.