Indy Steam Academy

Indy Steam Academy is the sole elementary public charter school in this data set, serving students in Indianapolis, Indiana. With a student body that is predominantly African American and Hispanic, and a high rate of economic disadvantage, this school has struggled to provide a quality education, as evidenced by its extremely low academic proficiency rates and concerning chronic absenteeism issues.

Compared to state averages, Indy Steam Academy has significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts (19.05%) and Math (15.48%), placing it in the bottom 15% of Indiana elementary schools. The school's 1-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking of 853 out of 1,010 elementary schools further underscores its academic struggles. Addressing the root causes of these challenges, such as the high chronic absenteeism rate of over 50%, will be crucial for the school to improve outcomes for its students.

Despite the school's small enrollment of 163 students and low student-teacher ratio of 9:1, the high per-student spending of $17,486 suggests that funding alone is not the solution. Indy Steam Academy may need to examine its educational model, curriculum, and instructional practices to better serve its predominantly minority and economically disadvantaged student population and provide them with the quality education they deserve.