Original Research by School Decision on Ben Davis High School
Ben Davis High School is a large regular public high school in the Indianapolis-side township of Wayne, serving grades ten through twelve as part of the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township. With several thousand students in just three grade levels, it is among the bigger high schools in the area, and the composition of its student body reflects a broad mix of backgrounds. About two in five students are Black, and just over a third are Hispanic, while roughly one in five is white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school sits within a large county, Marion County, that includes Indianapolis proper and many surrounding suburban townships. Housing in the neighborhood that Ben Davis draws from has a median value that trails the state average by a meaningful margin and sits well below the national figure. Rents here also run lower than the national benchmark, and the estimated cost of renting is a modest share of a typical household’s income. The broader economic picture shows a national unemployment rate that is relatively low, but no local-specific unemployment or income figure for the immediate Wayne Township area was provided in the data.
State testing data for Ben Davis High School was not available in the information reviewed. This is a high school serving grades ten through twelve, and Indiana administers statewide assessments at earlier grade levels as well as in high school. Because the data set did not contain test results, it is not possible to characterize the school's academic performance on state exams from this source. A parent who wants to understand proficiency levels in English, math, or science should look up the school’s most recent ILEARN or IREAD scores from the Indiana Department of Education directly, as those results are publicly reported but were not included here. The graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, and other outcome-based comparison metrics were also absent from the data, so no relative position on those measures can be drawn relative to other districts in Marion County.
What is known from publicly reported sources is that the district has made recent, concrete investments that touch Ben Davis. In 2022, voters approved both an operating referendum that funds teacher salaries, academic programs, and school safety, and a capital projects referendum that raises money for facility improvements. The district is building a new elementary school to replace an older one, with an expected opening in 2027. Separately, the district has been expanding STEM and project-based learning, and Ben Davis High School itself has received STEM certification from the Indiana Department of Education. That certification signals a curricular emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math that runs through the school.
The size and demographics here mean a student at Ben Davis will encounter a diverse peer environment. The school is large enough to offer a wide range of course options, though specific program offerings, such as Advanced Placement courses, dual-credit partnerships, or career and technical education pathways, were not listed in the data provided. A parent may want to check the school’s course catalog and counseling office for details on what academic tracks are available.
Because missing state test data and graduation rate data leave a gap in the academic performance picture, the strongest available signal about the school’s direction comes from the district’s recent referendum-driven investment and the school’s STEM certification. The 2022 referendums are funding both staff compensation and physical plant improvements, which suggests a district that is trying to stabilize and improve its offerings. The STEM designation gives a clear curricular orientation that families interested in those fields may find appealing.
For a family considering Ben Davis, the practical picture includes a large, diverse high school in a part of Marion County where housing costs are modest relative to state and national averages, a district that has recently secured voter approval for additional operating and capital funding, and a school that carries a recognized STEM certification. The absence of test score and graduation data in this review means that any academic judgment should be verified directly with the school or the state.
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