The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 17% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Paramount Brookside
Paramount Brookside is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Indianapolis. It operates as a regular public charter school, not as a magnet or a district-run school, which means it has a distinct governance structure and a specific enrollment process. Because it serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the academic measures that exist are limited to the state testing program for those grade levels.
The student body reflects the broader demographics of the neighborhood it serves. Enrollment is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and a smaller White population. More than three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a mark of the economic circumstances many families face. This concentration of poverty is typical of many urban charter schools, and it matters for understanding what resources and challenges the school navigates.
Academically, Paramount Brookside’s performance on the Indiana ILEARN assessments shows a mixed picture with some notable strengths. In math and English language arts, proficiency rates are each around half of tested students. That places the school in the top quartile among all districts in Marion County when looking at an overall proficiency index across subjects, a position that suggests it is among the stronger performers in its county relative to peers. The science proficiency rate is lower, and the social studies rate for fifth graders is lower still. A parent considering this school would want to look into the specific support for those subjects, especially since the science and social studies results represent a smaller number of tested students and may be more variable. The school participated in testing at very high rates, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students.
No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, or staffing, so a family cannot fully assess the school’s climate or support systems from this information alone. These gaps are common when a school does not report to the Civil Rights Data Collection in the most recent cycle, and they are worth asking the school about directly.
The housing context in the zip code surrounding the school shows that home values have declined modestly in the past year, while rents have increased. This pattern may affect the stability of the neighborhood and the school’s enrollment, but the school itself has not reported any recent major changes that would alter its academic program or direction. The district brief turned up no strategic priorities, leadership shifts, or facility investments that clear the bar of a four-year lasting impact, so the operating context appears to be one of continuity rather than upheaval.
Because this is a single-school entity—Paramount Brookside is both the school and the district—there is no larger system to compare with other schools. That simplifies the decision for a family: what you see is what you get. The school is relatively large for a K-8 setting, with enrollment in the mid-hundreds spread across nine grade levels. Class sizes appear moderate, given the grade-level counts, though without staffing numbers a precise ratio is not available.
For a family weighing this option, the core takeaway is a charter school in Indianapolis that serves a high-poverty population and delivers math and reading results that are above the median of other Marion County districts, even while science and social studies scores lag. The absence of high school grades means a separate transition plan will be needed after eighth grade. The lack of detailed data on attendance, discipline, and special programs means a prospective parent should visit, talk to current families, and ask about those areas directly. The school’s academic profile is the strongest signal available, and on that front it stands out positively within its county.
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