The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on William Henry Burkhart Elementary
WilliamHenry Burkhart Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Metropolitan School District of Perry Township, a large suburban district on the south side of Indianapolis. The school sits in a residential area of Marion County, and for families evaluating where to send their children, the most immediately relevant fact is that Burkhart stands among the higher-performing elementary schools in Marion County when overall proficiency across tested subjects is measured. That is the strongest signal in the data.
On the 2024-25 Indiana ILEARN assessments, a substantial share of Burkhart students scored at the proficient or above level in math, while the share in English language arts was somewhat lower. Science and social studies results were in a similar range. Taken together, the school’s proficiency index places it in the top quartile when compared with other school districts within Marion County. That relative strength is noteworthy because the school also serves a population with high economic need. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, meaning the academic performance is happening in a context where many schools in similar circumstances struggle more. A parent looking at these results can reasonably conclude that Burkhart is delivering solid academic outcomes for its student body, particularly in math, and that the school’s overall instructional effectiveness is above the county median.
The student body itself is distinctive. The largest single racial or ethnic group is Asian, at more than two-fifths of enrollment, followed by White, Black, and Hispanic students in smaller shares. This mix gives the school a notably different demographic profile than many Indianapolis-area elementary schools, where Black or Hispanic students are often the majority. About three-quarters of students qualify for income-based meal assistance. Data on students with disabilities and English learners are not reported in the available records, so a family with a child in either category would need to ask the school directly about those support structures.
Burkhart is not a small school, but it is moderate in size for an elementary, with a full range of primary grades plus a prekindergarten program. The school does not have a magnet or charter designation, so it operates as a standard neighborhood assignment school within Perry Township. No information on discipline rates, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns is present in the available data, which leaves gaps in the picture for families who weigh school climate heavily.
Home values in the zip code area are noticeably below the state average, and rents are similarly moderate, reflecting the affordability of the south-side neighborhoods that feed into Burkhart. The local housing market has seen very little change in values over the past year, and rents have risen modestly. For a family moving into Indianapolis, this part of Perry Township offers a lower-cost entry point compared to many other parts of Marion County.
The district that operates Burkhart, Perry Township Schools, has made structural changes in recent years that affect school assignment. The district reorganized its elementary feeder system into separate kindergarten academies and early childhood academies, and the boundary between the Southport and Perry Meridian feeder patterns runs along US-31. Families living east of that highway are assigned to Southport-area schools, while those west go to Perry Meridian. Burkhart’s location places it in one of those feeder paths, and any family moving into the area should confirm which feeder applies to their address, as the assignment determines the middle and high school pathway years ahead. The district also received a federal Teacher and School Leader grant aimed at recruiting and retaining effective educators, a multi-year investment that could benefit Burkhart’s classroom quality over time.
Overall, Burkhart Elementary presents as a solid academic option within a large, organized district, particularly strong in math relative to its peer group, serving a diverse and economically mixed student body in an affordable part of Indianapolis. The missing data on special populations and school climate mean a thorough family visit and conversation with the principal would be wise, but the core academic picture is encouraging.
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