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Lawrence Central High School

Public Grades 9-12

330^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 415 Indiana High Schools

Better than 20% of Indiana high schools

Summary

Lawrence Central High School is a large public high school serving grades 9–12 at 7300 E 56th St in Indianapolis, part of MSD Lawrence Township. With 2,517 students, it is one of the biggest schools in its area and the second-largest among nearby comparables, behind only Lawrence North High School.

Academically, the school has room to grow but is trending in the right direction. In 2025–2026, its overall state rank was 330 of 415 (20th percentile, 1 star), up from the 11th percentile in 2022–2023. Math is the clearest weak spot: only 7.38% of students reached SAT math proficiency, compared with 11.47% in the district and 25.6% statewide. Reading and biology scores are also below district and state levels, and Lawrence Central trails Lawrence North High School in every tested subject. On the plus side, biology proficiency climbed from 8.12% to 30.51% since 2022–2023, and SAT reading rose from 23.89% to 30.7%. One standout is the graduation rate of 92.7%, which is above the state's 89.7% and nearly equal to the district's 92.9% — far higher than Charles A Tindley Accelerated School (82.8%), James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School (77.7%), and Hoosier College and Career Academy (66.0%).

Other factors matter too. Chronic absenteeism fell from 51.4% in 2020–2021 to 28.9% in 2024–2025, though it remains above the district's 19.3% and the state's 16.7%. The school spends $11,975 per student with a 17.5 student-teacher ratio — more money and smaller classes than Lawrence North High School, which outperforms it, so resources alone don't explain the gap. Despite the 1-star overall rating, several student groups earn 3 stars for school effectiveness, including African American, White, multi-racial, and English Language Learner students, though results for low-income and Hispanic students remain lower. Note that state-suppressed scores for the Excel Center schools cannot be treated as zero. Overall, this is an improving school with strong completion supports and clear academic work ahead, especially in math.

2,517

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,975

Per pupil spending ?

60.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

7300 E 56th St
Indianapolis, IN 46226

(317) 964-7400

District: MSD Lawrence Township

Feeder schools for Lawrence Central High School:

Elementary:	Amy Beverland Elementary
	Brook Park Elementary School
	Harrison Hill Elementary School
	Skiles Test Elementary School
Middle:	Belzer Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.4%

Hispanic:

32.2%

White:

10.3%

See top rated Indiana high schools

Compare Lawrence Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 19th percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Indiana average (90%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (22% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 17% Indiana)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg28%

Indiana avg39%

330^th of 415

Indiana public high schools ?

Bottom 20%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the MSD Lawrence Township

263^rd of 374MSD Lawrence 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	20.2	330 of 415	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.7	365 of 429	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	378 of 432	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	355 of 398	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	345 of 409	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	304 of 388	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	330 of 389	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	329 of 385	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.6	329 of 380	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.5	318 of 394	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.1	333 of 400	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.8	319 of 379	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	40.2	192 of 353	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.6	136 of 373	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	32.3	267 of 364	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.5	225 of 362	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.0	287 of 364	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.8	295 of 360	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	44.6	245 of 354	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.9	238 of 349	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	54.0	188 of 349	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	50 of 133	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.4	84 of 132	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	89 of 132	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	70 of 125	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.9	85 of 125	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	56 of 122	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.3	58 of 119	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.1	77 of 94	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	47 of 74	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	17.9	328 of 395	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.1	350 of 387	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	353 of 392	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	350 of 388	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	27.1	144 of 194	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	148 of 181	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	168 of 184	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	151 of 166	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	143 of 164	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	23.3	315 of 390	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	336 of 377	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	346 of 377	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	341 of 379	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	318 of 397	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.6	338 of 386	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	360 of 392	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	347 of 383	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	46.6	54 of 112	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.9	77 of 111	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	78 of 102	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	65 of 104	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	71.5	29 of 94	69.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	37.2	181 of 292	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.4	259 of 298	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.6	177 of 289	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	229 of 285	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	172 of 387	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.7	126 of 377	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	193 of 381	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.8	162 of 375	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.1	123 of 378	67.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)62nd percentile+42 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)54th percentile+34 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)52nd percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2026)38th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)26th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile~ school

Female (2026)17th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing31%-21 vs state

Biology31%

Mathematics7%-18 vs state

4.0

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 16, 2017

Lawrence Central has been a great experience for our son who is involved in AP classes and the performing arts. Outstanding teachers who genuinely care about student engagement are what sets this school apart from others. Close Quote

by a student on FaceBook
Sunday, August 14, 2011

I love Lawrence Central and highly recommend it to all families. This websites rating of 1 star is WAY off! If you don't believe me, visit the school. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, January 17, 2011

This is an amazing HS. All 3 of my kids graduated from this school and went on to Purdue University with no problems. The staff at LC really care about student success. I would HIGHLY recommend this school to everyone. Close Quote

Schools Near Lawrence 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Lawrence Central High School	Public	9-12	7300 E 56th St	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 964-7400	2,517	143	17.5	60.2%	259 (10.3%)	1,268 (50.4%)	810 (32.2%)	16 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.1%)	159 (6.3%)	20.2	330^th of 415 public high schools	20.5%		15.7	365^th of 429 public high schools	14.9%	35	30.7	7.4							30.5	$11,975	$686	$11,289
Hoosier College and Career Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	7-12	5650 Caito Drive	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	Hoosier College and Career Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(317) 495-6494	1,484	57	26.0	50.7%	991 (66.8%)	206 (13.9%)	160 (10.8%)	12 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	110 (7.4%)	11.3	371^st of 415 public high schools	10.6%		13.7	377^th of 429 public high schools	12.1%	6	24.5	2.1	16.4	10.1	11.7	7.5	5.8	6.2	21.9	$10,503	$1,446	$9,057
McKenzie Career Center	Public	6-12	7250 E 75th St	Indianapolis	46256	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 964-8000	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lawrence North High School	Public	9-12	7802 N Hague Rd	Indianapolis	46256	Marion County	MSD Lawrence Township	No	No	No	No	(317) 964-7700	2,799	150	18.7	51.5%	548 (19.6%)	1,201 (42.9%)	857 (30.6%)	21 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	169 (6.0%)	32.6	287^th of 415 public high schools	30.8%		27.6	314^th of 429 public high schools	26.8%	27	35.6	15.1							37.4	$11,467	$569	$10,898
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4352 Mitthoeffer Rd	Indianapolis	46235	Marion County	James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(317) 552-1600	587	41	14.3	68.8%	16 (2.7%)	417 (71.0%)	137 (23.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.6%)	5	410^th of 415 public high schools	1.2%		5.8	410^th of 429 public high schools	4.4%		9.7	0.0							7.9	$16,283	$3,247	$13,035
Rooted School Indianapolis	Public, Charter	7-12	5750 E 30th St	Indianapolis	46218	Marion County	Rooted School Indianapolis	Yes	No	No	Yes	(317) 606-3500	150	19	7.8	74.0%	3 (2.0%)	133 (88.7%)	9 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.3%)	9	383^rd of 415 public high schools	7.7%		18.9	351^st of 429 public high schools	18.2%	32	23.1	0.0	15.0	12.5	13.6	19.1	33.3	26.7	15.6	$17,225	$3,249	$13,976
Excel Center - Shadeland	Public, Charter	9-12	2525 N. Shadeland Ave	Indianapolis	46219	Marion County	Excel Center - Shadeland	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 524-3910	404	14	28.8	64.4%	21 (5.2%)	279 (69.1%)	90 (22.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)								(n/a)
GEO Next Generation Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	4010 N Sherman Drive	Indianapolis	46226	Marion County	GEO Next Generation Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(317) 608-6220	0	2	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	10.6	377^th of 415 public high schools	9.2%		4.9	415^th of 429 public high schools	3.3%	38	23.5	0.0	6.1	17.0	12.8	0.0	7.6	4.7	23.1	$16,425	$3,612	$12,813
Charles A Tindley Accelerated School	Public, Charter	7-12	3960 Meadows Dr	Indianapolis	46205	Marion County	Charles A Tindley Accelerated School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(317) 545-1745	309	24	12.8	72.8%	2 (0.6%)	245 (79.3%)	50 (16.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.2%)	13.8	356^th of 415 public high schools	14.2%		21.2	339^th of 429 public high schools	21.0%	17	30.0	7.5	25.5	15.5	20.0	8.5	10.3	9.5	11.5	$19,128	$3,144	$15,984
Excel Center - Meadows	Public, Charter	9-12	3919 Meadows Dr.	Indianapolis	46205	Marion County	Excel Center - Meadows	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 524-3750	396	11	36.0	81.3%	23 (5.8%)	302 (76.3%)	50 (12.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Lawrence Central High School

Is Lawrence Central High School a good school?

Lawrence Central High School ranks in the bottom 20.5% of Indiana high schools.

What district is Lawrence Central High School in?

MSD Lawrence Township

What schools feed into Lawrence Central High School?

Lawrence Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Amy Beverland Elementary
Elementary : Brook Park Elementary School
Elementary : Harrison Hill Elementary School
Elementary : Skiles Test Elementary School
Middle : Belzer Middle School

How many students attend Lawrence Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,517 students attended Lawrence Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Lawrence Central High School?

Students at Lawrence Central High School are 50% African American, 32% Hispanic, 10% White, 6% Two or more races.

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 20, 2026

2023–24 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresSep 25, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

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.