Whitestown FAQ
Q: Aren’t Whitestown residents part of the Lebanon Community School Corporation? Why are they sending their children to Zionsville Community Schools?
A: The Eagle Township portion of Whitestown is served by the ZCS district. The boundaries were set by state legislative action decades ago and cannot easily be changed by local school corporations. Municipalities like towns, cities and townships have no say at all in school district boundaries.
Q: If you live in Whitestown and within the Zionsville Community Schools boundaries, will the redistricting (adjustment of school attendance area boundaries) process send those students to Lebanon Schools?
A: No. Redistricting is a term that refers to adjusting the school attendance boundaries inside of a school district. Redistricting is sometimes required to balance the number of students attending various schools within a school district, especially if one or more of the schools in a district is experiencing enrollment increases beyond the capacity of the school. ZCS has not redrawn school boundaries for the district since 2002. The plan, if successful, would hold off until 2022 for whole district school attendance area boundary adjustment.
Q: Do residents and businesses in Whitestown pay taxes to Zionsville Community Schools?
A: Yes. Those residents and businesses in Whitestown that are inside of the ZCS boundaries do pay school taxes to ZCS.
Q: Do Whitestown students attend Zionsville Community Schools through grade eight and then go to Lebanon High School?
A: No, Whitestown students who live in Eagle Township are in the ZCS attendance area and can attend ZCS pre-K through high school.
Q: Can Whitestown change the school boundaries?
A: No, Municipalities like towns, cities and townships have no say at all in school district boundaries.
Q: Is population growth in Whitestown responsible for enrollment growth in Zionsville Community Schools?
A: Population growth in Whitestown is partially responsible for enrollment increases in ZCS. The population of our communities has roughly doubled since 2010. Zionsville’s population grew by 12,366 between 2010 and 2018. Whitestown’s population grew by 5,028 during the same period. Enrollment in the school district has increased by 3,000 students since 2006 and continues to grow. Demographic experts from Indiana University project that ZCS will grow just over 200 new students per year for the coming decade.
Q: Is Lebanon building a new high school?
A: No. Regardless, Eagle Township residents of Whitestown are served by ZCS, not the Lebanon Community School Corporation (LCSC), and neither school district could unilaterally change this fact.
Q: If Zionsville Community Schools holds a referendum, will taxes increase in Whitestown more than in other portions of the school district?
A: The total school tax rate, which is the same rate across the entire district, would drop by nearly five cents, but please bear with us - this is complicated. The property taxes you pay are impacted by where you live (one of the five municipal jurisdictions within the ZCS district), and the type of property you own (commercial, farm, rental, residential). Due to various factors, if the referenda are approved, some residences will see a decrease in property taxes, some will see an increase, some will stay relatively flat. The median home value in the town of ZIonsville is $353,500. This home would see about an $8 monthly property tax increase. In the Eagle Township portion of Whitestown, the median home value is $291,000. This home would see a nearly $26 monthly increase, but individual results may vary, and so, a tax impact calculator will be hosted by the ZCS website if the referenda are on the ballot for November 2019.