Summary:
ZIP code 46221, on the southwest side of Indianapolis, contains eight elementary-level schools serving roughly 3,769 students in two districts — MSD Decatur Township (five schools) and Indianapolis Public Schools (three schools). Grade spans differ widely: K–6, K–8, PK–8, and a grades 3–6 program, so scores are not always an apples-to-apples comparison.
The biggest story is the gap inside one ZIP code. Decatur High Ability Academy, a 103-student program for grades 3–6, ranks #3 of 1,015 schools statewide with 5 stars, ELA 77.78%, math 91.92%, science 93.33% proficiency, and only 6.5% chronic absenteeism — far under the state's 16.7%. Among the comprehensive schools, Blue Academy is strongest: the largest school at 687 students, the lowest absenteeism among that group at 11.7%, and results above the Decatur district average in ELA and math — yet it is still a 2-star school at the 32nd percentile. At the other end, Daniel Webster School 46 - an Exploratory School ranks #993 of 1,015 with 0 stars, and Edison School of the Arts 47 has the area's highest absenteeism at 38.4%.
Attendance tracks with results: only three schools — Decatur High Ability, Blue and Gold Academy — fall below the state's 16.7% chronic absenteeism rate, while Edison (38.4%), William Penn Middle School - a STEM School (30.7%) and Daniel Webster (26.9%) sit far above it. Spending and class size do not line up with outcomes: the top-ranked school spends the least per student ($8,921) with the highest student-teacher ratio (20.6), while Edison, William Penn and Daniel Webster spend $19,570–$20,963 and rank low. Valley Mills Elementary School and Stephen Decatur Elementary School also show grade-level bright spots hidden by low all-grade averages, and both Blue and William Penn improved their rank and star rating this year.
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