Ben Davis University High School

What Ben Davis University High School does

Ben Davis University High School is a public Early College high school located at 1155 South High School Road in Indianapolis, Indiana, operating as part of the Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township. It serves students in grades 10–12 through a State Endorsed Early College program delivered in partnership with Vincennes University, enabling students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a tuition-free Associate of General Studies degree (62 transferable college credits). Students select from four degree tracks — Liberal Arts, Business Management, Information Technology, and Health Careers — with reported outcomes including 98% associate degree completion, 100% Core 40 diploma attainment, and over $4 million in scholarships earned.

The school's technology stack is composed of standard K-12 platforms integrated rather than proprietary: Canvas LMS for coursework, Skyward for student information, ParentSquare for parent communications, Xello for academic and career planning, ScholarTrack for 21st Century Scholar monitoring, SchoolCare for health records, School Pay for fees, and a Wayne Learning Hub (ClassLink) for single sign-on. Students receive 1:1 devices for digital learning. Approximately 78 staff support the program, including dedicated Vincennes University Learning Coaches, grade-level counselors, and a Director of Student Services, maintaining a small-school environment with lower student-to-teacher ratios.

As a public educational institution, the school generates no commercial revenue. It is funded through the MSD of Wayne Township tax base and Indiana state education funding, with no tuition charged for the high school diploma program or associate degree coursework, and all meals provided free under the Community Eligibility Provision. Enrollment is selective, with applications opening in December and closing around Presidents' Day; primary recruitment runs through the Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center with limited out-of-district transfer availability. Governance is provided by the MSD of Wayne Township Board of Education, which is currently undergoing a leadership transition with Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Butts retiring effective January 2026 and Dr. Shenia Suggs named as the next Superintendent.

Name

Ben Davis University High School

Legal name

Ben Davis University High School

Website

https://bduhs.wayne.k12.in.us

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ben Davis University High School is a public Early College high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, operated by MSD of Wayne Township in partnership with Vincennes University. It enables grades 10–12 students to earn a high school diploma and a tuition-free Associate of General Studies degree simultaneously.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Secondary Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dual Enrollment / Early College Programs (via Community Colleges) (EDAHADAH)

Keywords

• Public high school education
• Early college program
• Dual credit courses
• Associate degree program
• Secondary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Public high school funded through Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township tax base and state education funding. No tuition charged for high school diploma program or associate degree coursework.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ben Davis University High School is a public, tuition-free State Endorsed Early College program where students simultaneously complete their high school diploma and earn an Associate degree from Vincennes University through dual-credit coursework. The school serves grades 10–12 (with Wayne Township 9th graders auto-enrolled) and supplements academic instruction with dedicated counseling, an embedded college advisor, and a 1:1 laptop program delivered on Canvas.

Product overview

Ben Davis University High School operates as a State Endorsed Early College offering a single integrated educational program that combines high school and college coursework. The core product is the Early College Program, which enables students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a tuition-free Associate of General Studies Degree (62 credits) through partnership with Vincennes University. Students select from four Associate degree tracks: Liberal Arts, Business Management, Information Technology, and Health Careers. The program is supplemented by student support services (counseling, academic planning, career exploration via Xello), clubs and activities (including state-champion E-sports team), and 21st Century Scholarship program support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State Endorsed Early College Program A four-year early-college pathway for Wayne Township 9th-grade students (auto-enrolled) and limited out-of-district transfer students in grades 10–12 that combines high school coursework with Vincennes University dual-credit classes to produce both a high school diploma and an Associate degree.
• Vincennes University Dual-Credit Courses College-level courses delivered on the Ben Davis University High School campus through the Vincennes University partnership, enabling students to earn transferable college credit while completing their high school diploma.
• Vincennes University Associate Degree Pathway A guided pathway enabling students to graduate with both a high school diploma and a Vincennes University Associate degree simultaneously, supported by an embedded college advisor.
• High School Diploma Program The Indiana high school diploma credential earned by students concurrently with their Vincennes University Associate degree through the State Endorsed Early College program.
• School Counseling Services Dedicated, small-school counseling services supporting academic planning, social-emotional development, and postsecondary preparation for every student in the program.
• Embedded College Advising An embedded college advisor who coaches students on Vincennes University course selection, degree progress, and postsecondary transition as part of the Early College program.
• 1:1 Laptop Program A 1:1 device program providing every student with a school-issued laptop, used together with the Canvas learning management system for coursework and dual-credit classes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of students earn their Associate Degree
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vincennes UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary educational partnership providing dual-credit college coursework. BDU is a State Endorsed Early College program through this partnership. Students earn both high school and college credits simultaneously, completing an Associate of General Studies degree (62 credits) at no cost. Vincennes University provides the college curriculum, learning coaches, and degree conferral.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• P-TECH Schools Network: Network of Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools, originally an IBM/Education Trust initiative, that combine high school, college credits, and workplace skills. Operates a parallel early-college model to BDU, targeting underrepresented students with industry-aligned associate degree pathways.
• Alief Early College High School: Public early college high school in Houston's Alief ISD that lets students simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate degree through community college dual credit. Operates under the same State Endorsed Early College / dual-enrollment framework as Ben Davis, making it the closest directly comparable institution.

Emerging players

• Gateway to College National Network: National network of Gateway to College programs that enable students to complete high school while earning college credit at partner community colleges. Targets off-track youth but shares the same dual-enrollment infrastructure and community-college partnership DNA as Ben Davis University High School.
• Cristo Rey Indianapolis High School: Catholic, college-prep high school in Indianapolis combining rigorous academics with a corporate work-study program. Comparable as a small Indianapolis high school serving underrepresented students with a structured college-readiness model, though its pathway is work-study rather than dual credit.

Regional players

• KIPP Indy Public Schools: Indianapolis-based charter network focused on college-prep outcomes for underrepresented students. Targets a similar Indianapolis demographic and similar college-readiness outcome metrics (FAFSA completion, college persistence) but does not directly offer associate-degree dual credit.
• Ivy Tech Community College: Indiana's statewide community college system that runs dual-enrollment programs with many Indiana high schools. Comparable in serving the same statewide college-credit-in-high-school market, though its central-Indiana Indianapolis footprint overlaps more with BDU's catchment than Vincennes's southern-Indiana base does.

Broad incumbents

• BASIS Charter Schools: National network of college-prep charter schools known for AP-heavy curricula and high college placement rates. Operates at greater scale across multiple states with a comparable "college-readiness-first" mission, but does not confer associate degrees through formal dual-credit partnerships.

Others

• Vincennes University: Indiana's premier two-year college and BDU's primary academic partner, providing the college curriculum, learning coaches, and degree conferral that power the Associate of General Studies pathway. Not a competitor but the indispensable infrastructure provider whose partnership economics shape BDU's value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ben-davis-university-high-school

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ben Davis University High School