An exterior photograph of Ben Davis high school in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jacob Kriese / FunCityFinder.com)
Ben Davis High School, located just a few minutes from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis International Airport, and downtown Indianapolis, is one of the most acclaimed high schools in the nation. It is one of several schools in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township that provides education in Indianapolis. Currently, the school has the largest enrollment in Indiana with over 4,000 students. Ben Davis serves Indianapolis students in grades ten through twelve. In addition, the school opened the Ninth Grade Center in August of 2005, which serves the ninth graders of Wayne Township.
The main facility boasts a staff of over 170 teachers and over twenty different departments, including Engineering and Technology, Communications, Military Science, Symphonic Orchestra and Business. Ben Davis is also home to the Area 31 Career Center, which gives Indianapolis students hands-on experience in a wide array of different fields, from Aviation Technology to Television Broadcasting. The Area 31 Career Center also houses one of the Indianapolis media’s premiere student-run radio stations, GIANT 90.9, WBDG-FM.
Ben Davis High School was commissioned by former Wayne Township trustee John McClelland in 1892. The original school opened at the junction of Emma Hanch Road and what is now High School Road. It had both a grade school (on the first floor) and a high school (on the second floor) in the building. In 1914, the original Ben Davis suffered from overcrowding, so the old building was demolished and a new school was erected in its stead.
The new school, renamed Wayne Township High School, was considered one of the better Indianapolis high schools because it had a science lab, a gym, a large auditorium, and a workshop on its grounds. Ben Davis High School became the first consolidated high school in Indiana, and in 1925 it became the largest township high school in the United States. Ben Davis was rebuilt two more times, in 1935 and 1965, both times because the school was becoming overcrowded. A final addition to the school was completed in 1984, costing nearly $6 million.
Famous Ben Davis Alumni
- Robert Behning – Member of Indiana House of Representatives, District 91
- Randy Wittman – Former NBA player and coach
- Morten Anderson – NFL’s leading all-time scorer
- Carolene Mays – Former Indiana State Representative and President of the Indianapolis Recorder
- Kristi Lee – Radio personality on The Bob and Tom Show
- Steve Allee – Jazz musician and Grammy-nominated composer
Ben Davis High School
1200 N Girls School Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46214
317.244.7691
To find out more about what’s currently going at Ben Davis High School, please visit their website.
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Go BD!