The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in Science. The lowest is 10% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Maplewood Elementary School
Maplewood Elementary School is a regular public school in Indianapolis serving students from Pre-K through sixth grade. It is part of the MSD Wayne Township district, located on the west side of the city. The school operates within a broader district that has recently secured voter-approved funding for both operations and capital improvements, including a planned new elementary school to replace an aging facility, which points to ongoing investment in the district’s physical plant and staffing. The district has also pursued STEM certification for several of its schools, reflecting a strategic emphasis on project-based and STEM-integrated learning.
Maplewood itself is a mid-sized elementary school for its grade band, drawing from a surrounding area where housing values and rents are below the state average. A very large majority of students come from households with low income, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is majority Hispanic, with a substantial white population and a smaller share of Black students as well as students identifying as two or more races. The school does not report counts of students with disabilities or English learners in the available data, so a parent looking for information on those support programs would need to ask the school directly.
On state assessments, Maplewood’s proficiency rates in math, English language arts, science, and social studies are all below levels that many families would consider strong. The most recent results show that fewer than one in five students scored proficient or above in math and ELA, and the figures for science and social studies are similarly low. When compared with other districts in Marion County, Maplewood’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint of the cohort, meaning that while the school’s absolute performance is low, it is not alone in that range—many schools in the county face similar challenges. This context matters for a family trying to understand the school’s standing: the numbers are soft enough that a parent may want to look into this further with the school or the district, particularly to understand what interventions and supports are in place.
Because Maplewood serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not have publicly available data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios. Those are notable gaps that a parent considering the school would want to fill by visiting, talking to staff, or asking the district for their school-level reports.
The school’s location in Indianapolis means it sits within a large, diverse city with a wide range of neighborhoods, employment centers, and housing stock. The immediate area around Maplewood is residential with a mix of commercial corridors, and the district’s recent referendum passage signals that the community has been willing to commit additional property tax dollars to schools. That said, the high rate of economic disadvantage among the student body is a central fact of the school’s environment. Families choosing Maplewood should expect a setting where a large share of students face poverty-related challenges, and where academic outcomes, as measured by state tests, are below typical benchmarks.
What Maplewood offers is a regular public elementary program within a district that is actively investing in facilities and STEM pathways. For a family whose priority is a neighborhood school with a diverse student body and a district that has voted to fund teacher salaries and capital projects, Maplewood fits that description. For a family seeking high test scores or extensive enrichment programs, the school’s current performance data suggests that the academic experience may not meet those expectations without significant additional support from the district and from home. The school’s classification as “regular” and its open enrollment within the district mean it serves its neighborhood as a standard public option.
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