The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in Science. The lowest is 14% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Rhoades Elementary School
Rhoades Elementary School serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public school within Indianapolis’s MSD Wayne Township. It sits in the southwestern part of the city, inside a district that covers multiple neighborhoods with a broad mix of residential and commercial areas. The school’s enrollment is large for an elementary- and middle-grades building, and the student body is diverse. Hispanic and Black students together account for the majority of enrollment, with White students making up most of the remainder and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
On the 2024-25 state assessments given through Indiana’s ILEARN program, Rhoades’s proficiency rates were low across all tested subjects. In both math and English language arts, roughly one in six students scored proficient. In science, about one in four students reached that level. In the fifth-grade social studies test, roughly one in seven students met the bar. Participation rates were high in math and ELA; the data did not report participation for science or social studies. The overall proficiency index, which averages outcomes across tested subjects and grades, placed the school above the midpoint when compared with other schools in districts across Marion County. That comparative position suggests that while the school’s absolute rates are low, they are not the lowest in a county where many schools face similar challenges.
Rhoades does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate is reported, and the data provided did not include chronic absenteeism or staffing figures. No information on special education identification rates or English learner proportions was available. The school’s type is listed as a regular public school, meaning it serves a general education population rather than a special-purpose or alternative setting, so the low assessment results reflect the performance of the full mainstream student body.
The district that operates Rhoades, MSD Wayne Township, has made several publicly reported changes in recent years. In a 2022 referendum, voters approved both an operating levy and a capital projects package. The operating funds are directed at teacher salaries, academic programs, and school safety. The capital side finances facility improvements, including construction of a new elementary school to replace Westlake Elementary, with an expected completion around 2027. The district has also expanded STEM and project-based learning initiatives across grade levels, with two of its secondary schools receiving state STEM certification. These developments represent a sustained investment in facilities and curriculum that families living within the district’s boundaries may feel through property taxes and through changes in what schools offer.
For a parent or resident evaluating Rhoades, the most straightforward takeaway from the available data is that its state test results are weak in absolute terms, especially in reading and math, though they are not outliers in a county where many elementary schools report similarly low proficiency. The school is large, serves a high-needs population economically, and draws from a diverse community. Its district is actively spending on teacher compensation and building upgrades, and has placed a strategic emphasis on STEM, though whether those investments have yet reached Rhoades’s classrooms is not something the data here confirms. A parent would likely want to ask the school directly about its instructional approach, the specific support offered for students who are behind academically, and how the district’s STEM focus plays out in an elementary setting with this grade span.
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