The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Math. The lowest is 5% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Phalen Leadership Academy at Francis Scott Key School 103
Phalen Leadership Academy at Francis Scott Key School 103 is a public school district in Marion County, Indiana, that serves a single school building for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. With a modest enrollment for its grade band, the school has a student body that is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and a very small white population. A parent considering this school will want to weigh the school’s academic profile, its level of student need, and what the surrounding area offers.
The academic picture is the clearest starting point. On the state’s ILEARN assessments, proficiency rates across all tested subjects fall well below the midpoint among Marion County’s districts. In both math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above is low. Science and social studies results follow the same pattern. For a family accustomed to seeing a majority of students meet grade-level benchmarks, these numbers will look soft. This is not a school where most students are clearing the state’s proficiency bar, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about the specific supports and interventions in place.
The school’s spending per student, however, sits in the upper half of the range among county districts, when a comparable figure is available. That suggests resources are not the primary constraint. Two related points: the school reports no data on the share of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, or on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent has no way from this data to know the full extent of student need or the concentration of special programs.
Chronic absenteeism is a clear concern. The rate of chronic absenteeism places the school in the bottom quartile among Marion County districts. That means a very high share of students are missing enough school days to affect learning. For a parent, this is a topic worth raising directly with the school leadership to understand what attendance initiatives exist and what the day-to-day climate feels like for a child who is in class every day.
The district operates one school, Phalen at Francis Scott Key 103. Because there are no other schools in the district, there is no feeder pattern to a middle or high school within this system. Students who continue beyond sixth grade will need to enroll in another district. That is a structural reality a family planning for the long term will want to consider.
The surrounding area’s housing market and community characteristics were not available in the data we reviewed, so a parent would need to research the specific neighborhood, property values, and local services separately. The district itself did not yield recent publicly reported changes that would directly affect families.
For a family weighing options, this is a small, single-building district with a diverse student body, higher-than-average spending per student, and academic results that are below the county median. The attendance climate is challenging. A parent focused on early childhood through elementary years may find the school’s size and community feel appealing, but will want to see firsthand how the school is addressing its academic and attendance challenges before making a decision.
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