North Central High School

Summary:

North Central High School is a diverse public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, serving 3,628 students in grades 9-12 and part of the MSD Washington Township school district.

North Central High School stands out for its strong academic performance, ranking 183 out of 431 Indiana high schools and earning a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's diverse student population is more racially mixed than many nearby schools, with 37.35% African American, 21.64% Hispanic, and 3.8% Asian students. North Central also maintains high graduation rates, at 89.6% in the 2022-2023 school year, exceeding the state average. However, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with White and multi-racial students performing very well, while African American and Hispanic students lag behind.

Compared to nearby schools, North Central High School generally outperforms them in academic metrics, but some schools, like Carmel High School, significantly outshine North Central, particularly in test scores and college readiness. North Central's high percentage of students (53.34%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch may contribute to the achievement gaps observed among different subgroups. The school also faces a rising chronic absenteeism rate, from 16.2% in 2021-2022 to 20.0% in 2022-2023, which is an area of concern that the school should address.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 1801 E 86th St
       Indianapolis, IN  46240


(317) 259-5301

District: MSD Washington Township

SchoolDigger Rank:
184th of 431 Indiana High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,935 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  17.1 Help
Number of students:  3,616

Racial breakdown:

African American:
36.9%
White:
30.6%
Hispanic:
22.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  53.8% Help


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 Compare North Central High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details North Central High School ranks better than 57.3% of high schools in Indiana. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 52.3. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at North Central High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Student population at North Central High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (36.9%), White (30.6%), Hispanic (22.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 53.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at North Central High School is 17.1. (See more...)
Help
Compare North Central High School employs 210.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at North Central High School is $12,935.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

North Central High School:

SchoolDigger ranks North Central High School 184th of 431 Indiana public high schools. (See North Central High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


MSD Washington Township:

SchoolDigger ranks MSD Washington Township 206th of 381 Indiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for North Central High School?

Rank History for North Central High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 70.70 79th 349 77.4%
2006 60.26 150th 349 57.0%
2007 60.75 152nd 354 57.1%
2008 62.80 139th 360 61.4%
2009 65.34 138th 364 62.1%
2010 46.76 157th 362 56.6%
2011 47.54 178th 364 51.1%
2012 49.27 159th 373 57.4%
2013 42.56 183rd 353 48.2%
2014 38.13 229th 379 39.6%
2015 54.38 161st 400 59.8%
2016 57.16 155th 394 60.7%
2017 45.69 217th 380 42.9%
2018 52.03 206th 385 46.5%
2019 52.77 167th 389 57.1%
2021 60.84 110th 388 71.6%
2022 59.41 164th 409 59.9%
2023 65.61 91st 398 77.1%
2024 52.30 184th 431 57.3%
See the entire list of Indiana High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 61.35 34th 94 63.8%
2023 76.08 18th 104 82.7%
2024 75.61 22nd 102 78.4%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 37.10 42nd 74 43.2%
2024 30.52 69th 94 26.6%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 70.26 52nd 285 81.8%
2024 37.03 176th 289 39.1%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 49.15 182nd 379 52.0%
2024 32.15 262nd 377 30.5%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 67.09 92nd 388 76.3%
2024 49.69 178th 392 54.6%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 62.04 106th 383 72.3%
2024 49.00 184th 392 53.1%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 19.26 35th 44 20.5%
2023 27.10 35th 49 28.6%
2024 16.51 39th 47 17.0%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 63.10 34th 125 72.8%
2023 61.06 37th 125 70.4%
2024 51.82 42nd 132 68.2%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 34.71 101st 164 38.4%
2023 50.64 71st 166 57.2%
2024 34.71 119th 184 35.3%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at North Central High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools IN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 97.19 12th 378 96.8%
2023 96.58 4th 375 98.9%
2024 93.60 14th 381 96.3%
See the entire list of Best Indiana High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Indiana Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

North Central High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.7)
67%

0%

0%

0%

33%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Open Quote North Central is easily among the top schools in the state in every regard. Outstanding academics, athletics, and performing arts are topped by a diverse and involved student body. It is also home to an excellent IB program and an experienced staff of teachers and administrators. Close Quote


Facebook Profile Picture by a citizen on FaceBook
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Open Quote Dismal. Barely above the level of a third world country school. Close Quote



Enrollment information for North Central High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 2303 946 53 4 0 n/a n/a 0 3306
1989 2196 916 69 5 0 n/a n/a 0 3186
1990 2061 878 65 5 0 n/a n/a 0 3009
1991 1928 880 71 9 0 n/a n/a 0 2888
1992 1917 849 68 17 0 n/a n/a 0 2851
1993 1894 871 71 15 1 n/a n/a 0 2852
1994 1902 902 73 19 2 n/a n/a 0 2898
1995 1933 1000 64 29 2 n/a n/a 0 3028
1996 1933 1000 64 29 2 n/a n/a 0 3028
1997 1949 1015 64 33 2 n/a n/a 3 3066
1998 1999 1059 58 42 2 n/a n/a 0 3160
1999 2016 1076 70 49 4 n/a n/a 0 3215
2000 1946 1070 71 53 3 n/a n/a 0 3143
2001 1893 1085 65 71 4 n/a n/a 0 3118
2002 1885 1115 62 129 3 n/a n/a 0 3194
2003 1885 1115 62 129 3 n/a n/a 0 3194
2004 1899 1132 51 156 4 n/a n/a 0 3242
2005 1910 1183 44 186 5 n/a n/a 0 3328
2006 1875 1287 52 173 6 n/a n/a 0 3393
2007 1721 1257 45 212 4 n/a n/a 134 3373
2008 1599 1303 55 235 4 n/a n/a 147 3343
2009 1469 1281 64 251 5 n/a n/a 165 3235
2010 1426 1401 78 303 2 n/a n/a 180 3390
2011 1391 1439 110 336 2 0 214 0 3492
2012 1406 1466 139 362 2 0 222 0 3597
2013 1360 1362 125 333 3 0 219 0 3402
2014 1371 1383 125 351 4 0 211 0 3445
2015 1285 1439 135 424 3 0 232 0 3518
2016 1277 1488 150 491 2 1 227 0 3636
2017 1233 1575 159 560 3 2 240 0 3772
2018 1216 1505 160 639 4 3 238 0 3765
2019 1223 1466 149 656 6 1 226 0 3727
2020 1190 1447 146 708 8 1 247 0 3747
2021 1223 1435 140 712 7 0 237 0 3754
2022 1184 1390 137 759 7 0 232 0 3709
2023 1105 1355 138 785 6 1 238 0 3628
2024 1108 1336 138 799 7 1 227 0 3616

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at North Central High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 3306 151.7 21.7 1.5
1989 3186 154.5 20.6 1.8
1990 3009 148.9 20.2 3.2
1991 2888 146.1 19.7 5
1992 2851 140.8 20.2 6.1
1993 2852 140.4 20.3 7
1994 2898 137.5 21.1 6.1
1995 3028 141.1 21.5 7.7
1996 3028 141.1 21.5 7.7
1997 3066 143.9 21.3 8.8
1998 3160 144.4 21.9 10.7
1999 3215 146.6 21.9 12.5
2000 3143 148.7 21.1 13.7
2001 3118 154.7 20.2 17.2
2002 3194 156.2 20.4 21.7
2003 3194 156.2 20.4 21.7
2004 3242 154.1 21.0 24.4
2005 3328 156.1 21.3 24.9
2006 3393 157.3 21.6 28.9
2007 3373 n/a n/a 32.9
2008 3343 160.7 20.8 37.2
2009 3235 168.5 19.2 38.9
2010 3390 169.1 20.0 43.4
2011 3492 195.9 17.8 44.7
2012 3597 199.6 18.0 44.6
2013 3402 183.9 18.4 45.6
2014 3445 187.6 18.3 48.9
2015 3518 183.0 19.2 49.9
2016 3636 176.0 20.6 47.8
2017 3772 176.0 21.4 46.3
2018 3765 182.3 20.6 50.4
2019 3727 181.1 20.5 50.3
2020 3747 180.9 20.7 53.6
2021 3754 187.7 19.9 46.6
2022 3709 231.0 16.0 39.3
2023 3628 226.0 16.0 53.3
2024 3616 210.3 17.1 53.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio North Central High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 3306 151.7 21.7 1.5
1989 3186 154.5 20.6 1.8
1990 3009 148.9 20.2 3.2
1991 2888 146.1 19.7 5
1992 2851 140.8 20.2 6.1
1993 2852 140.4 20.3 7
1994 2898 137.5 21.1 6.1
1995 3028 141.1 21.5 7.7
1996 3028 141.1 21.5 7.7
1997 3066 143.9 21.3 8.8
1998 3160 144.4 21.9 10.7
1999 3215 146.6 21.9 12.5
2000 3143 148.7 21.1 13.7
2001 3118 154.7 20.2 17.2
2002 3194 156.2 20.4 21.7
2003 3194 156.2 20.4 21.7
2004 3242 154.1 21.0 24.4
2005 3328 156.1 21.3 24.9
2006 3393 157.3 21.6 28.9
2007 3373 n/a n/a 32.9
2008 3343 160.7 20.8 37.2
2009 3235 168.5 19.2 38.9
2010 3390 169.1 20.0 43.4
2011 3492 195.9 17.8 44.7
2012 3597 199.6 18.0 44.6
2013 3402 183.9 18.4 45.6
2014 3445 187.6 18.3 48.9
2015 3518 183.0 19.2 49.9
2016 3636 176.0 20.6 47.8
2017 3772 176.0 21.4 46.3
2018 3765 182.3 20.6 50.4
2019 3727 181.1 20.5 50.3
2020 3747 180.9 20.7 53.6
2021 3754 187.7 19.9 46.6
2022 3709 231.0 16.0 39.3
2023 3628 226.0 16.0 53.3
2024 3616 210.3 17.1 53.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for North Central High School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $500 (4.6%) $10,479 (95.4%) $10,979
2020 $517 (4.7%) $10,562 (95.3%) $11,080
2021 $1,159 (9.8%) $10,674 (90.2%) $11,833
2022 $1,451 (11.2%) $11,484 (88.8%) $12,935

Data source: Indiana Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on North Central High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 167th of 389 High schoolsRanks 91st of 398 High schools
 20.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Biology (North Central High School)44.936.9
 8%
   End of Course Biology (MSD Washington Township)44.940.5
 4.4%
   End of Course Biology (Indiana)38.629
 9.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students37273628
 2.7%
African American14661355
 7.6%
American Indian66
Asian149138
 7.4%
Hispanic656785
 19.7%
Pacific Islander11
White12231105
 9.6%
Two or More Races226238
 5.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients50.3%53.3%
 3.1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about North Central High School

In the 2023-24 school year, 3,616 students attended North Central High School.

Students at North Central High School are 37% African American, 31% White, 22% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

North Central High School ranks 184th of 431 Indiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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