Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! Indiana test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Ben Davis High School

Public Grades 10-12

334^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 415 Indiana High Schools

Better than 20% of Indiana high schools

Summary

Ben Davis High School is a very large public high school in the MSD Wayne Township district in Indianapolis, serving grades 10–12 with 3,315 students — more than four times the enrollment of any nearby school in this comparison. Its 2025–26 school rank is 334 of 415 (20th percentile, 1 star), placing it in the bottom quintile of Indiana high schools, while graduation has improved to 89.8% in 2024–25, essentially matching the state's 89.7% and well above the district's 82.4%.

The most urgent concern is chronic absenteeism at 37.5% in 2024–25, more than double the state rate of 16.7% and well above the district's 22.1%; Ben Davis's rate has worsened while district and state rates have improved. Test proficiency is low: SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 28.56%, SAT Math 10.53%, and Biology ILEARN 7.69% in 2025–26 — each below the district, with math and biology the most severe. About 69.14% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024–25.

Nearby comparisons are striking. Ben Davis University High School, 2.55 miles away in the same district, serves a similar or higher poverty population but ranks in the 83rd percentile with 99.0% graduation, 7.2% chronic absenteeism, and much higher test scores. Speedway Senior High School, 2.31 miles away, ranks in the 86th percentile, graduates 99.1%, and has 8.0% chronic absenteeism, with lower poverty and lower per-student spending ($12,926 vs. $13,675). Ben Davis still outperforms George Washington High School, Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, Excel Center - Michigan Street, and Excel Center - West on graduation and most test scores. Its relative effectiveness ranking is strongest for African American students and weakest for low-income and special education students.

3,315

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,675

Per pupil spending ?

69.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1200 N Girls Sch Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46214

(317) 988-7000

District: MSD Wayne Township

Feeder schools for Ben Davis High School:

Elementary:	Bridgeport Elementary School
	Chapel Glen Elementary School
	Chapelwood Elementary School
	Garden City Elementary School
	More...
	Maplewood Elementary School
	McClelland Elementary School
	North Wayne Elementary School
	Rhoades Elementary School
	Robey Elementary School
	Stout Field Elementary School
	Westlake Elementary School
Middle:	Chapel Hill 7th & 8th Grade Center
	Lynhurst 7th & 8th Grade Center

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.9%

Hispanic:

37.0%

White:

18.3%

See top rated Indiana high schools

Compare Ben Davis High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 9th percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (18% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg23%

Indiana avg39%

334^th of 415

Indiana public high schools ?

Bottom 20%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the MSD Wayne Township

292^nd of 374MSD Wayne 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	19.1	334 of 415	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	333 of 429	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	357 of 432	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	359 of 398	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	339 of 409	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	341 of 388	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	342 of 389	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	357 of 385	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.3	351 of 380	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.1	359 of 394	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.4	381 of 400	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.2	365 of 379	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.0	340 of 353	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.1	361 of 373	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.6	353 of 364	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	11.5	340 of 362	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	26.5	318 of 364	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.3	314 of 360	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	24.2	314 of 354	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.1	295 of 349	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.7	298 of 349	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	70 of 133	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.3	46 of 132	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.5	73 of 132	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	66 of 125	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.1	52 of 125	58.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	85 of 122	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.7	78 of 119	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	60 of 94	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	45 of 74	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	324 of 395	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	335 of 387	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	338 of 392	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	352 of 388	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	134 of 194	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.1	146 of 181	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	155 of 184	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	147 of 166	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	124 of 164	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	318 of 390	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.0	297 of 377	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	314 of 377	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	327 of 379	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	339 of 397	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.9	323 of 386	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	354 of 392	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	349 of 383	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	69 of 112	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.5	71 of 111	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.7	55 of 102	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.0	77 of 104	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	69 of 94	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	233 of 292	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.7	184 of 298	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.3	185 of 289	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.6	260 of 285	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	33.5	271 of 387	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.5	220 of 377	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.7	307 of 381	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	323 of 375	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.3	292 of 378	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)47th percentile+28 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)38th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)31st percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)30th percentile+11 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2026)20th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile~ school

Female (2026)18th percentile~ school

Male (2026)15th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing29%-23 vs state

Mathematics11%-15 vs state

Biology8%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Ben Davis High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, November 5, 2017

Our choice to enroll our kids at Ben Davis came after researching the AP/Honors courses available compared to other private high schools in the area. We knew the rich AP course offerings (20+ classes) coupled with the diverse student body were perfect for our family. And the decision has proven fruitful! Our kids were able to take advantage of the great academics, theatre/music programs, and strong athletic teams. Most importantly, our children experienced an environment where students from all socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities, religions, and experiences came together. We wanted our children to have a "real world" school experience, not one where they were placed in a homogenous bubble of students. Ben Davis was just that and prepared our children to go into their universities and careers with the ability to move through and feel comfortable in different spaces and communities with ease. This understanding is the foundation to empathy and understanding that we need in this world. Close Quote

Schools Near Ben Davis High School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 Science (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 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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)
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
Speedway Senior High School	Public	9-12	5357 W 25th St	Speedway	46224	Marion County	School Town of Speedway	No	No	No	No	(317) 244-7238	602	37	16.4	56.0%	242 (40.2%)	140 (23.3%)	151 (25.1%)	31 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.3%)	76.5	58^th of 415 public high schools	86.0%		84.1	32^nd of 429 public high schools	92.5%	26	56.9	30.8											65.3	$12,926	$612	$12,314
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
Excel Center - West	Public, Charter	9-12	6000 W 34th St	Indianapolis	46224	Marion County	Excel Center - West	Yes	No	No	No	(317) 524-4005	410	13	31.5	21.5%	12 (2.9%)	318 (77.6%)	67 (16.3%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)								(n/a)														$4,282	$299	$3,983
Monarca Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	5525 W 34th Street	Indianapolis	46224	Marion County	Monarca Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 379-0499	219	12	18.2	47.9%	6 (2.7%)	6 (2.7%)	205 (93.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)								(n/a)			15.5	14.3	15.3	15.0	9.9	2.9	12.5	8.5	15.5	15.5		$14,702	$471	$14,232
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
Indianapolis Metropolitan High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1635 W Michigan St	Indianapolis	46222	Marion County	Indianapolis Metropolitan High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(317) 524-4638	194	22	8.8	73.7%	29 (14.9%)	102 (52.6%)	50 (25.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.2%)	4.8	412^th of 415 public high schools	0.7%		6.3	407^th of 429 public high schools	5.1%	5	7.4	0.0												$15,162	$3,147	$12,015
Excel Center - Michigan Street	Public, Charter	9-12	1635 W Michigan St	Indianapolis	46205	Marion County	Excel Center - Michigan Street	Yes	No	No	No	(317) 524-3910	385	10	38.5	43.9%	40 (10.4%)	255 (66.2%)	72 (18.7%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)								(n/a)														$3,967	$153	$3,814

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Davis High School

What is the racial makeup of Ben Davis High School?

Students at Ben Davis High School are 39% African American, 37% Hispanic, 18% White, 5% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Ben Davis High School?

How many students attend Ben Davis High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,315 students attended Ben Davis High School.

What district is Ben Davis High School in?

MSD Wayne Township

Is Ben Davis High School a good school?

Ben Davis High School ranks in the bottom 19.5% of Indiana high schools.

Rate Ben Davis High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

INIndiana High School Rankings

INIndiana District Rankings

Schools in Indianapolis, IN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Ben Davis High School!

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.