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Willow Lake Elementary School

Public Grades K-5
726th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,015 Indiana Elementary Schools
Better than 28% of Indiana elementary schools
Summary

Willow Lake Elementary School is a K–5 school serving 739 students at 7535 Harcourt Rd on the north side of Indianapolis, part of MSD Washington Township. It is the largest elementary in this comparison set. On SchoolDigger's 2025-26 ranking it places 726th of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools (28th percentile, 1 star), while the district as a whole ranks 159th of 374 (57th percentile, 3 stars). Among the six district elementaries tracked here, Willow Lake and Greenbriar Elementary School are the only 1-star schools; the other four sit at 44th–48th percentile with 2 stars.

Test scores trail district and state averages in every subject and grade. In 2025-26 ILEARN, 31.23% of students were proficient in ELA, 32.41% in Math, and 18.57% in Science — all below the district. Science is the sharpest weakness: 22.8 points below its own district and the lowest science score of any school in the comparison set. Fourth grade is the clear pressure point, holding the school's lowest ELA (21.43%), Math (30.0%) and Science results at the same time, each roughly 21–25 points below the state. Against its nearest neighbor, Greenbriar (1.03 miles away), Willow Lake does better in ELA and 5th-grade Social Studies but worse in Math and Science.

There are real signs of movement. Willow Lake's all-grades ELA rose from 21.13% to 31.23%, a 10.1-point gain — the largest one-year jump in the district group. Chronic absenteeism fell from 26.3% to 17.2% over four years, now near the state average and better than Spring Mill Elementary School and Greenbriar. Yet the school has the highest student-teacher ratio in the set at 17.1, and per-student spending ($13,015) remains below four of five district peers. The most defensible read: a school in early recovery — improving on engagement and ELA, still lagging in math and science.

739
Students ?
17.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,015
Per pupil spending ?
53%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 7535 Harcourt Rd
       Indianapolis, IN  46260

(317) 280-3701

District: MSD Washington Township


Students who attend Willow Lake Elementary School usually attend:

High:    North Central High School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
44.2%
Hispanic:
34.1%
White:
13.3%
more
 See top rated Indiana elementary schools

 Compare Willow Lake Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 15th percentile in 2021 → 28th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2021
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Indiana average (31% vs 47% meeting standards)
!Social Studies scores 14 pts below the Indiana average
!Near the bottom of MSD Washington Township's ranking
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school31%
District avg43%
Indiana avg47%
726th of 1,015
Indiana public elementary schools ?
Bottom 28%▲ up 13 pts since 2021
From bottom 15% (2021) to bottom 28% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
7th of 8Elementary Schools in the MSD Washington Township
159th of 374MSD Washington 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankIndiana percentileRating
202629.3726 of 101528.5%★☆☆☆☆
202522.7793 of 100521.1%★☆☆☆☆
202424.2776 of 101123.2%★☆☆☆☆
202324.1782 of 101623.0%★☆☆☆☆
202218.6835 of 102018.1%★☆☆☆☆
202114.6861 of 101615.3%★☆☆☆☆
By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?
Social Studies33%-14 vs state
Math32%
English Language Arts31%
Science19%

3.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
5★1
4★0
3★0
2★0
1★1
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What people are saying
by a parent
Friday, May 7, 2021

Open Quote My daughter came home and told me that they taught her that "white people are bad." She's never had homework. She's hardly learned anything, and I'd put her education level, as a fourth grader, at somewhere between first and second grade. She says her teachers are mean, and I've only had negative experiences with the staff, who come across as pompous. In third grade, a kid showed her a gun in his backpack on the bus, he said that it was his father's, and the administration did nothing. This school is garbage. Your child's early years are too precious to allow a school like this to waste them. Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, July 17, 2020

Open Quote My child started Kindergarten in the 2019-2020 school year, which was Willow Lake’s first. Her teacher (Ms. Rybak) is an incredible teacher and handled the pandemic closure as well as any Kindergarten teacher could be expected. My child had really severe separation anxiety the first several weeks of school that she was able to overcome with the help of her teacher and Miss Emily (Yarger). The specials teachers are also very well liked by my child and myself. The principal, Ms. Brown, and vice principal, Mr. Fort, are always friendly and make themselves available to students and parents alike. For Kindergartners, there is a dual language program in Spanish. Every staff member I’ve encountered is someone I’d be happy to have around my child. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Lake Elementary School

Willow Lake Elementary School ranks 726th of 1015 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 739 students attended Willow Lake Elementary School.

Students at Willow Lake Elementary School are 44% African American, 34% Hispanic, 13% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Students who attend Willow Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : North Central High School

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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.

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