The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Math. The lowest is 5% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Phalen at Francis Scott Key 103
Phalen at Francis Scott Key 103 is a public charter school in Indianapolis serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It operates as a regular school under the Phalen Leadership Academy network, a charter management organization that runs several schools in the city. The school occupies a building on Baker Drive in the far northeast side of Indianapolis, a section of the city with a mix of postwar homes and newer subdivisions. Housing values in the ZIP code sit near the national median, and rents have risen noticeably in recent years, consistent with broader metropolitan trends.
The student body is substantial for an elementary-middle school, enrolling roughly several hundred children. The demographic composition is overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic, with a very small share of white students and a trace number identifying as two or more races. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. Data on the number of students with disabilities and English learners was not available from state sources, a gap that parents may want to ask the school about directly, as those populations often shape classroom supports.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year show low overall attainment. On the ILEARN assessments, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the low teens for math and around one in ten for English language arts. Science and social studies proficiency rates were even lower, with single-digit percentages. Compared with other districts in Marion County, the school’s composite proficiency index sits below the midpoint of the county’s many school entities. The participation rate on the tests was high, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in the tested grades. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The school pulls students from a broad attendance area within Indianapolis, so the peer environment is shaped by urban demographics and the economic challenges that come with concentrated poverty. As a charter school, it operates independently of the Indianapolis Public Schools district but is publicly funded and subject to state accountability rules. The Phalen Leadership Academy model emphasizes a longer school day, a structured academic focus, and a culture built around character development and college readiness, though given the grade band, college preparation is a future rather than immediate goal.
A parent considering this school will want to look into the academic supports available to address the low proficiency numbers. The district’s website or school leadership can provide details on interventions such as tutoring, extended learning time, or curriculum changes. Families should also ask about the special education and English learner programs, since the available data did not cover those counts. The school’s location on the northeast side puts it within a short drive of several suburban-style shopping corridors and parks, but the surrounding neighborhood is mostly residential with modest commercial nodes.
The broader Indianapolis context matters here. The city is Indiana’s economic and cultural hub, with a downtown anchored by sports venues, a growing tech sector, and a mix of old industrial neighborhoods and gentrifying areas. Public transit is limited, so most families rely on cars for school drop-off and pickup. The school’s charter status means it has more flexibility than a traditional district school in staffing and budget, but also that it must renew its charter periodically based on performance.
There is no publicly reported information about recent changes at the district level—no major boundary adjustments, leadership turnover, or program launches surfaced in a review of available materials. That stability may be reassuring, though it also means the narrative around the school is largely what the test scores and demographics tell. For a family weighing options in Indianapolis’s wide field of charter schools and magnet programs, this school offers a clear profile: a high-poverty, majority-minority elementary school with very low test results and a charter network’s structured approach. The right fit depends heavily on what academic support and peer environment a family is seeking.
See more original research from School Decision →