The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Math. The lowest is 18% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Southport Elementary School
Southport Elementary School sits in the Southport neighborhood of Indianapolis, part of Perry Township Schools on the city’s south side. The school serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade, and it draws from a residential area with a mix of single-family homes and apartment complexes. Housing in the zip code is moderately priced relative to national averages, and the area has a mix of commercial corridors and established subdivisions. A family moving into the district should know that attendance boundaries are divided by US-31; homes east of the highway place students in the Southport feeder system, which includes this elementary school.
The student body is distinctive in its composition. A large majority of students — about six in ten — identify as Asian, making Southport Elementary one of the most Asian-enrolled elementary schools in the district. White students make up roughly one-fifth of the school, with smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students. The school is economically diverse in a specific sense: a very high proportion of students, well over four-fifths, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face financial strain. Information about students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Academically, the school’s performance is mixed. On Indiana’s ILEARN assessments, math results stand out: nearly half of students met or exceeded state standards, a rate that places the school in the top quarter of all elementary schools in Marion County when looking at overall proficiency across subjects. English language arts results are lower, with less than a third of students reaching the proficient mark, and science results are similar. Social studies, tested only in fifth grade, showed about one in five students meeting the standard. A family reading these results should consider that while math is a relative strength, literacy and science are areas where many students need additional help. The school’s overall proficiency index — a combined measure across all tested subjects — falls in the top quartile relative to other districts in the county, which suggests that despite the lower ELA and science numbers, the school’s performance compares favorably with many nearby schools.
Because Southport is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing levels were also missing from the available records, so a parent should follow up with the school office for a fuller picture of daily attendance trends and classroom environment.
The district itself has recently undergone structural changes. Perry Township Schools reorganized its elementary system into separate kindergarten academies, early childhood academies, and traditional elementary schools, with two distinct feeder patterns. The Southport feeder serves families east of US-31. The district also received a federal Teacher and School Leader grant intended to improve recruitment and retention of effective educators, which may benefit Southport Elementary over time. No recent referendum or property-tax change was identified in the district brief, so local school funding appears stable for now.
For a family considering Southport Elementary, the school offers a diverse, high-poverty student body with better-than-typical math results for the county. The Asian-majority enrollment may be a draw for families seeking a school where their children are part of a large Asian student community. The lower ELA proficiency rates are a realistic consideration, and families concerned about early literacy should inquire about targeted reading interventions. The school’s location in a mid-priced Indianapolis neighborhood, combined with the feeder alignment west of US-31, makes it a predictable choice for families in the Southport attendance zone.
See more original research from School Decision →