The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in Math. The lowest is 0% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Frederick Douglass School 19
Frederick Douglass School 19 is a regular public school in Indianapolis serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as part of Indianapolis Public Schools. It sits within a district that has undergone substantial structural change in recent years, and a parent looking at this school will want to understand both the school’s own academic picture and the broader system it belongs to.
The school enrolls just under 500 students across kindergarten through eighth grade, with roughly comparable class sizes through the elementary and middle school grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a smaller but noticeable share of white students and a modest number of students identifying as two or more races or Asian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that gives a parent a sense of the economic context the school serves. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material; a parent may want to ask the school directly about its special education and language support offerings.
On state assessments, Frederick Douglass School 19 shows results that a family should examine closely. Proficiency rates in math, English language arts, science, and social studies all fall well below the midpoint for districts in Marion County. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other schools around the county. Nearly every tested student participated in the assessments, so the results reflect the full population. In social studies, no student in the tested grade reached the proficient level. These are sober numbers, and a parent considering this school would likely want to discuss how the school addresses academic skill gaps, what interventions are in place, and what trajectory the school is on.
Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not offer high school pathways, so a family will need to plan for a separate high school search when the time comes.
The housing context around the school is urban Indianapolis, an area where home values have been relatively flat recently while rents have risen. The estimated monthly mortgage payment is less than the typical rent, which is an unusual dynamic that may reflect differences in the types of housing available for purchase versus rental. Nationally, the economic backdrop shows modest income growth, low unemployment, and a 30-year mortgage rate that has fluctuated in a narrow range. A parent moving to the area for this school should be aware that Indianapolis Public Schools uses a zone-based enrollment system; families are not automatically assigned to their neighborhood school but instead apply through a centralized process called Enroll Indy, choosing from among schools across four zones. The district also operates Innovation Network Schools, where some schools are run by external partners while staying within the district, and offers magnet programs with distinct models like Montessori, Dual Language, STEM, and International Baccalaureate.
This school, however, is a regular public school, not a magnet or innovation school, so it follows the standard district curriculum. The district itself has experienced a notable enrollment decline in recent years, which has implications for funding and long-term planning across all its schools. A parent should factor in that this is a system in transition, with both the uncertainty that comes with declining enrollment and the potential opportunity of a district actively reshaping its offerings. For a family focused on a traditional neighborhood school with a clear pre-K-through-8 structure, Frederick Douglass School 19 offers that, but the academic performance data is a central consideration and warrants direct follow-up with school leadership.
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