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Thursday, March 28, 2024

To understand Indy’s changing diversity, just look at our schools

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For nearly forever, every debate revolving around the education of African-American children in Indianapolis focused on the Indianapolis Public Schools. That old school myopic attitude needs to stop now.

For the past 13 years, I’ve annually chronicled the demographic changes in public school enrollment in Indianapolis. In this new school year, and just six months before the 2010 Census count, if you want to discover the drastically changing nature of Indianapolis, just look at the evolving demographics of our public schools.

It’s there that you can document Indianapolis’ changing character, changes that will impact how our African-American community views, not just education, but all other public policy issues affecting our community.

So, as Sgt. Joe Friday used to say on Dragnet, “Just the Facts.” And here they are:

The 11 public school districts and 21 public charter schools in Indianapolis/Marion County have total enrollments of 139,710 students this 2009-2010 school year. Of that number, 53,336 or 38.2 percent are African-American. African-American enrollment increased this school year by just 368 students or 0.7 percent.

While IPS has the largest enrollment of African-American students (18,423), IPS enrolls slightly more than a third (34.5 percent) of the city/county’s African-American public school students.

Two-in-three Black students in Indianapolis attend public schools other than IPS.

Five-in-nine Black public school students here attend township schools, while one-in-10 Black students attend charter schools.

African-American school enrollment increased in seven of Indianapolis’ school districts and in 16 charter schools.

Surprisingly, Washington Township saw the largest increase in Black student enrollment this year, some 273 Black students; a 6.8 percent increase. The next biggest increase occurred in Wayne Township where Black enrollment rose to 175 students; a 3.7 percent jump. Black enrollment in Pike Township climbed 162; a 2.6 percent increase.

IPS continued to hemorrhage African-American enrollment. The district lost 895 Black students, a 4.6 percent decline. Since the 2001-2002 school year, IPS’ Black enrollment has dropped by 5,644, while overall Black public school enrollment in the city/county was increasing by 5,701. That is a swing of over 11,000

Besides IPS, the largest Black enrollment declines were found in the Lawrence Township schools which lost 232 Black students; a 3.7 percent decline. While the number is small (76), the Speedway Schools lost a quarter of its Black enrollment, falling from 315 to 239.

Asked why the sharp decline, Superintendent Ken Hull says that two major apartment complexes in Speedway have experienced, in his words “a significant decline in tenants.”

In the six township districts, which were under the Federal school desegregation plan, the majority of African-American students enrolled in those districts are now residents of those districts. Not those bused because of the desegregation order.

Regardless of the political issues surrounding charter schools, in eight years, charters have become a significant part of the public education of African-American students.

Total enrollment in the 21 charters in the city/county is 8,572. Of that number, 5,198, or 60.6 percent, are African-American. As a group, charter schools have the highest percentage of African-American students; higher than Pike or IPS.

As a group, charters are the fifth largest school system in Black enrollment after IPS (18,423), Pike (6,436), Lawrence (5,957), Warren (5,366), all charters (5,198) and ahead of Wayne (4,917), Washington (4,308), Perry (1,244) and Hamilton Southeastern (1,194).

While we’ve fully analyzed school enrollment in the city/county, we did gather school enrollment data for the five suburban districts with the highest number of African-American students. Hamilton Southeastern continues to lead the suburban districts in Black enrollment. Though the district’s Black growth slowed dramatically this school year, up just 53 students (4.6 percent).

Avon had the best Black growth, up 86 students (12.1 percent) to 799. Brownsburg increased by 23 (4.4 percent) to 546. Black enrollment in two key suburban districts, Carmel (464 Black students) and Mt. Vernon in Hancock County (265 Blacks) were flat.

The 16,493 Hispanics in city/county public schools are still a small minority of overall enrollment. The districts with the highest percentage of Hispanics are: Pike (16.0 percent), IPS (15.8 percent), Wayne (15.3 percent) and Washington (13.9 percent).

The public school enrollment confirms that Indianapolis is becoming a more racially diverse city/county.

For the first time non-Hispanic whites comprise a minority of Indianapolis public school students. Fifty percent of the city/county’s 139,710 public school students are Blacks or Hispanics. Blacks comprise 38.2 percent of all students; whites comprise 42.4 percent and Hispanics 11.8 percent.

Whites are the majority in five school districts – Decatur, Franklin and Perry Township schools, plus Beech Grove and Speedway. Non-Hispanic whites are the majority in six charters: Decatur Discovery, Southeast School of Excellence, Herron High, Hope Academy and Hoosier Academy.

Non-Hispanic whites have been leaving Indianapolis in droves since the 1970’s. And the creation of scores of condos and homes downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods hasn’t offset white migration.

The growth in Black enrollment in Indianapolis’ township school districts is borne out by Census estimates showing growing Black communities in township neighborhoods.

For example, the 2006-2008 American Community Survey (ACS) estimates that the overall population in the IPS district is 42.2 percent Black, while 43.7 percent of the population in the Pike district is Black. Other township population diversity: Washington 24.8 percent, Warren 23.4 percent, Lawrence 20.9 percent and Wayne 17.7 percent.

That’s a significant number of Black parents and Black voters in township districts.

Our African-American community has spent too much time worrying about the quality of the education of our children in IPS. While that worry and concern was well placed, it’s time our Black political, religious and civic leaders, along with Black parents and taxpayers spend just as much time worrying about the education that the majority of African-American children in Indianapolis receive.

That means we must also concentrate our attention and firepower on the districts and schools where the majority of our students attend – the township, charter and suburban school districts. Not just IPS!

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