Haylie Walker

ED112

Meyer, Theresa

Due: 11/16/2023

School and Community Analysis: Ben Davis High School

Introduction

When choosing a school district, whether the situation is a teacher looking for a job, or a

family looking for the right place to send their children, people want to soundly know that they

will be entering a safe school district that has the best interests of the educators and learners as

the focus. This includes looking at the school’s curriculum, finances, values of the school, along

with other factors from the community like housing, parks and recreation, and community

involvement. When choosing a school to analyze after coming from a small town, having the

goal to select a school district with a different dynamic is a great way to broaden one’s

educational lens. Choosing a secondary school allows an expansion of knowledge for a future

Elementary Education major. Because of this, Ben Davis High School is a great example of a

diverse school with a large number of students, much different from the experience of a small

rural high school.

Community Data

Ben Davis High School is located within Indianapolis, Indiana, but is settled within

Wayne Township. The town’s trustee is Jeb Bardon and he works closely with the Board of

Trustees. Bardon is an active community member, with a strong advocacy role in public

education because of his connection as an involved parent in the district. The trustees collaborate

with the Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township School Board. The board is

led by President Raimeka Graham and Vice-President Brandon Bowman. The community is

heavily reliant on access to public schools due to the fact that only 12% of students attend private
school in Wayne Township. This could possibly stem from the area’s average income, which is

$25,295 per capita and $52,792 per household (Census Reporter).

The MSD Wayne Township offers a variety of community activities, tutoring

availability, medical care, and social service options on their district website. The community

encourages spending a day at the Children’s Museum, Conner Prairie, the Indianapolis Art

Center, or going to one of the 188 park properties throughout Marion County to encourage

creativity and staying active. The community is invested in their students and this is shown

through their dedication to enriching their lives outside of school (M.S.D. of Wayne Township

School Board). The community is also focused on helping minority groups. For example, if

students in the hispanic community feel that they need tutoring help, they can receive free ESL

lessons from La Plaza in Indianapolis. La Plaza receives their funding from companies invested

in education, like Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the Summer Youth Program Fund (Funders – La

Plaza). It’s clear that the Wayne Township community is invested in the lives of their students,

and when the community found out about the numerous health violations in the Ben Davis High

School Cafeteria in February 2023, they caused an upset. In response to the health violations, the

Wayne County School Board worked diligently with the County Health Department to correct

these issues within the school to uphold a safe environment for their students (Runevitch, 2023).

School Data

Ben Davis High School takes pride in educating their students. “The mission of Ben

Davis High School, a partnership of students, staff, families, and community, is to ensure that all

students acquire and apply knowledge, skills, processes and values to become lifelong learners

and productive citizens in a diverse society through an innovative educational program of

outstanding quality (School Facts).” The fact that the school system recognizes that learning is
lifelong, makes it clear that they see learning as never ending which in return connects to the

Reggio philosophy that Butler encourages. Looking at the school from a demographic

standpoint, the school has an enrollment total of 3,278 students in grades 10-12. When it comes

to diversity within the school, 78.2% of students are considered minority enrollment. This aligns

with the population statistics throughout the township. 61% of citizens in Wayne Township are

from a minority group.

As a whole, Ben Davis High School’s current graduation rate is 87%. This graduation

rate is typical compared to other public institutions within Indiana. However, it does raise

concern that the school does not present a School Improvement Plan on their website. Even

though the school lacks an improvement plan, their website makes it clear that academics are a

priority. For example, the math department offers a full college preparatory curriculum that

allows students to earn college credits for their coursework through Indiana University. In the

English Department at BDHS, students have the opportunity to enroll in an honors sequence that

is geared towards PSAT/SAT/ACT and A.P. test preparation. Not only does this school focus on

the core subjects, they offer various English Language Learner courses for students who are still

working towards proficiency. All of the EL courses offered align with the World-class

Instructional Design and Assessment standards. Alongside the curriculum offerings, BDHS takes

pride in their extracurricular activities which includes clubs that range from Weaving Club to the

Riley Hospital Dance Marathon. Students have the opportunity to participate in clubs because of

the school’s IMPACT club schedule. This allows time during the school day for clubs to meet.

The amount of planning and effort that goes into the offered curriculum and extra curricular

activities, it is entirely visible that the staff and community instill their best resources into the

school for the benefit of the students.

 Moving forward into the financial details of the corporation, BDHS has an average

expenditure of $11,342 per student. Within the building, 53% of students are eligible for free

lunch, and another 5% qualify for free lunch. The total yearly spending for the school including

all instructional and operational expenditures for the school is $37,249,816. Almost all (95.4%)

of the school’s budget obtains funding from state and local funds, while only 4.6% of funding

comes from the federal government (IDOE). A portion of the school’s spending is allocated

towards salaries for the 226 educators that are employed at BDHS. 89.2% of the educators

receive “highly-effective” scores from the state, which is just another way to see the investments

that are being made in the lives of students at BDHS. Based on the dedication that Ben Davis

High School puts into their students, and the support received from the community, BDHS is a

great option for a 10th-12th grade student living in Wayne Township.

 References

Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, IN - US News Best High Schools. (n.d.).

USNews.com. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/indiana/districts/m-s-d-wayne-

township/ben-davis-high-school-7460#students_teachers_section

Funders – La Plaza. (n.d.). La Plaza. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from

https://www.laplazaindy.org/funders-sponsors/

IDOE. (n.d.). Ben Davis High School (5213) | Indiana. Retrieved November 15, 2023,

from https://inview.doe.in.gov/schools/1053755213/finance

M.S.D. of Wayne Township School Board. (n.d.). MSD Wayne Township. Retrieved

November 9, 2023, from https://district.wayne.k12.in.us/m-s-d-wayne-township-school-

board/

Runevitch, J. (2023, February 28). Multiple health violations reported at Ben Davis

cafeteria. WTHR. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/ben-davis-marion-county-school-cafeteria-

mouse-droppings-prepackaged-food/531-949043c7-5a7d-4833-8fab-c0f1c0ec700e

School Facts. (n.d.). Ben Davis High School. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from

https://bdhs.wayne.k12.in.us/information/general-information/school_facts/

Wayne Township. (n.d.). Wayne Township Government Center. Home | Wayne Township

Indianapolis. Retrieved November 9, 2023, from https://www.waynetwp.org

Wayne township, Marion County, IN - Profile data. (n.d.). Census Reporter. Retrieved

November 9, 2023, from https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US1809781800-

wayne-township-marion-county-in/
Wayne township, Marion County, IN - Profile data. (n.d.). Census Reporter. Retrieved

November 15, 2023, from https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US1809781800-

wayne-township-marion-county-in/