Original Research by School Decision on Believe Circle City High School
BELIEVE Circle City High School is a single-school district in Marion County serving grades nine through twelve. It is a small high school with an enrollment that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, together accounting for roughly nine in ten students, with a small share of white students and a similarly small share of students identifying as two or more races. The school has no reported enrollment of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or American Indian or Alaska Native students.
The school's graduation rate, state testing results, and proficiency data were not available in the data examined. Because this is a high school where testing is standard for that grade band, the absence of proficiency data is notable and a parent may want to look into this further with the school. The chronic absenteeism rate, which was available, sits at a level above the midpoint among Marion County's districts, meaning a substantial share of students miss enough school days that the school defines as chronic absence. This is a soft spot in the school's picture and one worth asking about. Per-pupil current spending falls in the upper range among the county's districts, which suggests the school devotes a comparatively high level of resources to its students relative to operating costs across the county.
There are no reported figures for how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, how many receive special education services through an IEP, or how many are English learners. Those are gaps that limit a fuller understanding of the student body's support needs.
The school operates as a district of its own, so comparisons to other districts in Marion County place it alongside a large cohort of eighty-six districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools and many suburban and charter systems. In that context, the chronic absenteeism figure, while above the midpoint, is not unusual for a district of its type and urban setting.
No parent-relevant changes for the school were found in a search of recent information. The search turned up only basic directory and enrollment data, with nothing that would indicate a lasting shift in operations, leadership, or programming that a family would need to weigh.
The school's course offerings, discipline data, staffing ratios, and access to programs such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career and technical education were not reported in the data available. That means a family would need to ask the school directly about the depth and breadth of the academic pathway options.
Who this school fits is a student and family comfortable with a small high school setting, where the student body is majority Black and largely Hispanic, and where a relatively high share of students are chronically absent. A family that values a smaller enrollment and is looking into Indianapolis-area options may want to probe the academic data, the special education and English learner supports, and the course catalog to see whether the school's academic pathway matches what they are seeking.
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