The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Math. The lowest is 0% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Phalen Leadership Academy at Louis B Russell School 48
Phalen Leadership Academy at Louis B Russell School 48 is a single-school district in Marion County serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It opened in the 2020-2021 school year as an Innovation Network School within Indianapolis Public Schools, and in March 2025 the school board approved converting it to an Innovation Charter School, shifting oversight from IPS to the Indiana Charter School Board. This governance change alters accountability, funding, and operational autonomy for the school, which remains in the same building and serves the same grade band.
State testing results from the ILEARN assessments for grades three through eight show proficiency rates that are low across all subjects. The school’s overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Marion County’s districts on that composite measure. In the most recent testing cycle, proficiency rates for math and English language arts were both well below twenty percent, and in science proficiency was similarly low. In fifth-grade social studies, the only grade tested for that subject, no student scored at the proficient level. Because the district serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The student body is small, with enrollment in the low hundreds. The majority of students are Black, with a Hispanic minority and small numbers of students who are white or of two or more races. Data on students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is not available, nor are counts for students receiving special education services or those identified as English learners. Chronic absenteeism, however, is reported and is very high. Among Marion County’s districts, the school’s chronic absenteeism rate is in the bottom quartile, meaning a substantial share of students miss many school days. For a school serving young children, this is a pattern that families may wish to discuss with the school to understand what supports are in place.
Per-pupil current spending is in the upper range among the county’s districts, which in a small school may reflect higher per-student costs for facilities and staffing. No information is available on program offerings, course access, or staffing ratios, so it is not possible to describe the depth of academic or enrichment opportunities beyond the core tested subjects. The school’s website indicates that it uses data-driven instruction and small-group learning, but specific curricula or elective offerings are not detailed in the available data.
The school sits within the Indianapolis Public Schools landscape but is now charting an independent governance path. For a parent considering this school, the key facts are the low proficiency on state assessments, the very high chronic absenteeism, and the recent structural shift to a charter model. The school’s small size and the absence of economic or special population data make it harder to assess the full range of student needs and supports. A parent would likely want to visit, ask about attendance interventions, and explore how the school plans to raise academic outcomes under its new charter.
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