Rousseau Mcclellan School 91, Indianapolis IN

Original Research by School Decision on Rousseau Mcclellan School 91

Rousseau McClellan School 91 sits in the broad arc of Indianapolis Public Schools as a regular public school serving children from prekindergarten through eighth grade. It is a neighborhood school in a city that has reorganized its enrollment around a zone-based choice system, meaning families who live here can also apply to any other IPS school through the central Enroll Indy application. That larger district context matters: IPS has seen a clear enrollment decline over the years, which affects everything from building budgets to program offerings, and it operates Innovation Network schools that partner with external operators alongside traditional district schools. Rousseau McClellan is of the traditional type.

The student body is moderately sized for a PK‑8 school and is racially and economically mixed. A little more than half of students are white, roughly a quarter are Black, a smaller share are Hispanic, and the rest identify as two or more races. About two out of five students qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, a level that signals the school serves a substantial number of households where income is a factor. The community around the school is an older Indianapolis residential area; home values in the surrounding zip code sit near the middle of the metro range, and rents are moderate as well, putting the neighborhood within reach for many families.

On state assessments, the school’s proficiency results offer a mixed picture. Across the subjects tested in grades three through eight, roughly a third of students met or exceeded state standards in math, and about two out of five did in English language arts. Science scores, tested only in one grade band, were higher, with nearly half of students proficient. Social studies, tested only in fifth grade, came in lower, with about a quarter of students reaching the proficient mark. A parent should know these are not top‑tier scores at a statewide level. At the same time, when measured against other schools across Marion County, Rousseau McClellan’s overall proficiency index places it among the stronger performers—in the highest quarter of the county. That distinction suggests that while the raw percentages may look modest, they are relatively strong for the urban district and county context in which the school operates.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available in the information we reviewed. The school does not have a magnet or charter designation; it is a straightforward public school.

In terms of academic pathway, a child here will move from early childhood through middle school within one building, which can offer continuity. The school has no high school, so families will need to plan for the transition after eighth grade—and the IPS choice system provides many high school options across the district. For parents evaluating this school, the central question is fit: whether the peer environment, test performance, and community setting match what they are looking for. Given the mixed scores and the relatively strong county position, this is a school where a family would want to look into the specific instruction, supports, and culture on the ground, especially if college‑preparatory or advanced academic pathways are a priority. The district’s broader plan of zone‑based choice means that even if Rousseau McClellan is a match for the early and middle years, high school will be a separate decision.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-833%

School 33% · District 21% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-841%

School 41% · District 21% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-848%

School 48% · District 21% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 16% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolIndianapolis Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income52%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income55%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income50%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income77%48 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income60%48 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income59%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income50%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income37%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income9%Higher-income35%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income65%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income56%44 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income41%5 pp gap