The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Science. The lowest is 25% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on James a Garfield School 31
James A Garfield School 31 is a regular public school in Indianapolis Public Schools serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It sits in the city’s near-south side, in a residential and commercial corridor south of downtown. The school is one of many elementary-and-middle combinations in the IPS portfolio, which operates a zone-based enrollment system. Families can apply to any school in the district through the centralized Enroll Indy process, rather than receiving a single neighborhood assignment, and Garfield 31 is open to any student in the district under that system.
The student body is small for a school covering eleven grade levels. The racial and ethnic composition is diverse, with no single group forming a majority. White students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, Hispanic students, and a smaller proportion of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, putting the school in a relatively high-poverty bracket within the district.
The school’s academic performance, as measured by the state’s ILEARN assessments in the most recent testing year, lands in a mixed zone. The overall proficiency index, which averages reported rates across subjects and grades tested, places Garfield 31 in the top quartile among elementary-and-middle schools in Marion County. That may read as a positive headline, but the actual rates are moderate: roughly one-third of students scored proficient or above in math and in English language arts, and just under two-fifths did so in science. The plain result is that a clear majority of students are not meeting the state’s proficiency bar in these subjects. A parent or guardian should expect that many children will need supplemental academic support to reach grade-level benchmarks, and should discuss with the school what interventions and enrichment are available.
Because Garfield 31 ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to evaluate, and the school has no advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, or career-technical course data to report. The district as a whole offers a wide range of high school pathways, including an Innovation Network of schools run by external partners, magnet programs in Montessori, Dual Language, STEM, and other models, and a set of high school academies with more than thirty academic pathways. Those options are available beginning in ninth grade at other IPS schools, but Garfield 31 itself does not provide any of them.
The housing market in the school’s zip code is a notable factor for families considering the area. Home values in the neighborhood are well below the state median, and they have declined relative to a year ago. Rents have risen at a double-digit annual rate. The estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home is roughly in line with the national rent-to-income benchmark, but the gap between rent and mortgage costs is narrow, meaning buying may not be cheaper than renting in this part of Indianapolis. For families weighing a move, this is a neighborhood where affordability has shifted measurably in the past year, and housing costs should be verified directly with current listings.
The school’s grade band and the absence of staffing, discipline, and chronic absenteeism data mean a parent interested in class size, teacher turnover, or school climate will need to visit, call the main office, or check with the school’s parent liaison. The available civil rights data is similarly absent, so no picture emerges of special education identification rates, English learner services, or discipline patterns.
Garfield 31 fits a family looking for a small, diverse K-8 public school in a low-cost, centrally located Indianapolis neighborhood, where the student body is economically mixed and proficiency rates are modest. It fits less well for a family whose priority is a track record of high state-test performance, or one seeking specialized high school programs on site. Because the school is part of IPS’s choice system, families living outside the immediate area can still enroll their child through the Enroll Indy application, but they should be prepared to provide transportation.
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