Cole Graverson

Professor McAllister

Concepts of Education

November 16, 2023

Hamilton Southeastern High School Analysis

Hamilton Southeastern High School is a public school located in Fishers, Indiana. The

school opened in 1964 and has grades 9-12 at the school. There are 3,430 students currently in

the school, that number has grown by 1% since last year. The male-to-female ratio is 50% male,

and 50% female. The demographics of the school are majority white, at 70.4%. The minority

enrollment is 29.6% of the overall students. The students are 9.4% black, 7.9% Asian, 7.0%

Hispanic, 5.0% Two or More races, 0.1% American Indian/ Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native

Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander. This falls below Indiana’s state average for minority enrollment at

34%. It does not line up with the state demographics, however, does align with the

demographics of the Fishers community. Only 13% of the student population is eligible for free

and reduced-price lunch program, this number is way less than the Indiana State average at

47%. Only 10% of the students attending the school are offered free lunch, and 3% receive

reduced price. The 33% difference in the economically disadvantage students of the state

average from Hamilton Southeastern students is correlated to the overall higher socioeconomic

status of the population living in Fishers and the overall higher wealth of the city compared to

other areas in Indiana.

There are 170 full-time equivalent teachers in Hamilton Southeastern High School. The

student to teacher ratio is 20:1, which is higher than the 16:1 state average. However, the
school is ranked 13th within Indiana and #8 in Indianapolis, IN metro area high schools. It has a

score of 94.95/100 on U.S. & World Report News. These high rankings, even with higher

student to teacher ratios, suggest that curriculum and teacher instruction is still adequate in

terms of performance, even if less than desirable for meaningful learning experiences.

Hamilton Southeastern High School use ISTEP+ tests to understand the student’s

success in the classroom. The percentile score on the ISTEP+ is 97.3%, which is well above

expectations. The school average of proficiency in the mathematics category, is 33% higher

than the state average standing at 60%. The reading average proficiency for the school is 25%

higher at a staggering 85% proficiency. The percentage of underserved students who are

proficient at the school is 44.4%, which is 15.6% higher than the state proficiency average. The

percentage of non-underserved students who are proficient are 71.5%. This school also offers

AP exams for students to be offered college credit and demonstrate success at college-level

coursework. The national percentile on college-level exams is 92.5% at Hamilton Southeastern.

The proportion of 12th grade students that took an exam currently stands at 60%. Of those, 45%

scored a 3+ or higher on the exam, for an exam pass rate of 72%.

These students are cumulatively graduating at a 97% graduation rate. That rate is 11%

higher than the state average of 86%. The challenging coursework and advanced placement

program utilized at this school, allows for maximal student success and national recognition as

a school and district.

Hamilton Southeastern High School offers students two diploma options while in school,

the Core 40 diploma, and Core 40 Honors diploma. I was a recipient of the Core 40 Honors

diploma in May of 2020. While in my time at Hamilton Southeastern High School, I was able to
know and feel the “backwards” curriculum that was set in place for me to be able to succeed

and grow. I would sit down with my advisor and go over career goals, desired colleges, class

requirements, elective interests, etc. They would highlight and emphasize the educators plan

was based on long-term desired results for maximal student learning and success. I held a lot of

autonomy in my 4 years of attending the school. Students can choose their classes, they have a

set number of required classes, but then can tailor their learning to their own individual interest

and career goals. Hamilton Southeastern is in partnership with Indiana University and allows

students to have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit courses to

be able to gain college credit. Along with 24 AP and dual credit courses, Hamilton Southeastern

also offer courses and programs in engineering, medical, finance, agriculture, welding,

mechanical, art, music, and theatrical fields to assist and build a deeper foundation for

students’ interest and inclusivity inside the school.

In the extracurricular realm, assisting the academic curriculum, there is 83 clubs listed

on the school website. These includes clubs such as National Honors Society, French Club,

Dungeons & Dragons Club, Ski Club, Best Buddies, HSE Cancer Society, Fossil Club, Eco Club,

Women Up, DECA, Knitting Club, HSE Key Club, and Philosophy Club to name a few. There are

also 25 different school sanctioned sports teams at Hamilton Southeastern, with a long history

of athletic success. I was a part of the 2019 Hamilton Southeastern Baseball State Champions

team, National Honors Society, and placed in 10 different AP classes with a 4.2 GPA before

coming into college.

This curriculum is why the district is an A-rated district and highly regarded as one of the

best places to go to school in the state. The academic rigor, inclusive environment, interest
driven programs, and athletic success this school bolsters is the foundation for the academic

success seen on the ISTEP+ test scores and high graduation rate.

The finance information is found from the Department of Education in the annual

financial report for Hamilton Southeastern Schools. Hamilton Southeastern School spends

roughly $12,518 per students, higher than the average of $10,256. The revenue amount per

student was $12,711. The total expenditures for the district were over $277,688,000. Broken

down, $137,376,000 (61%) was spent on instruction, $16,387,000 (7%) on student and staff

support, $28,361,000 (12%) on administration, and $44,796,000 (20%) on operations and food

service. The operations budget includes a few new elementary schools, and multiple

renovations and expansions. When looking at the total revenue of $281,979,000, it is

interesting to notice the amount of funding that is coming locally. Federally there is $6,255,000

(2%) coming in, local revenue is $111,548,000 (40%), and statewide revenue is $164,176,000

(58%). This means the district is extremely reliant on state and local funding of the residents

that are living in the Fishers area.

The Fishers area has a population of 97,200 people with a median household income of

$117,504 people. The population grow in 3.92% just in the last year and will continue to

develop and grow. The median property value in Fishes, IN is $297,400 and the home

ownership is 77.1%. Most families average 2 cars per household. This is alluding to the fact that

most people living in this area are very wealthy and do well financially.

The mission statement of Hamilton Southeastern Schools is, “Hamilton Southeastern

Schools, as a forward-thinking school district, provides excellence in education and

opportunities to ensure the success of each and every student, to become a responsible citizen
and to positively influence an ever-changing world community.” This mission statement fits

perfectly into the analysis of what it stands for and is for the community. It is an A-rated

corporation that serves over 21,000 students. It offers a wide variety of curricular and

extracurricular opportunities, values students in their school, and has proven to get them

graduating a very successful rate with tremendous scores. One thing that I would see as a pitfall

to this corporation and structure would be the financial barrier of this area allowing

underprivileged families the ability to live in this area and be a part of this school corporation. It

is a predominately white demographic living in the area, and there is a socioeconomic boundary

in this community, with high home prices, high wages, and higher taxes that will limit the ability

of impoverished people the access to this school district. I do not have a solution to that

problem but felt that was a key analysis to make known and try to highlight in this analysis of

overall great school and corporation that should be made available and accessible to all.
 Works Cited

Annual financial report - resources.finalsite.net. (n.d.).

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1672857612/hsek12inus/djxowsskujrsjueunbs9/
DOE-Annual-Financial-Report-2019-W.pdf

Fishers, in. Data USA. (n.d.). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/fishers-in/

For additional information click the house icon to view streamed/archived board meeting videos.
-boarddocs®. (n.d.). https://go.boarddocs.com/in/hses/Board.nsf

Search for public school districts - district detail for Hamilton Southeastern Schools. National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of
Education. (n.d.). https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?ID2=1810650

Teaching & learning. Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation. (n.d.-a).

https://www.hseschools.org/academics/teaching-learning

Welcome. Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation. (n.d.-b).

https://www.hseschools.org/about/welcome

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, November 17). Hamilton Southeastern High School. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Southeastern_High_School