J. Everett Light Career Center

A Career and Technical Education Center

1901 East 86th Street, Indianapolis, In 46240 phone: (317)259-5265 fax: (317)259-5298

Find us!

Google Maps

JEL sign

Our Mission:

Providing Practical Skills Training for success in College and the Workplace

Sending Schools:

Also serving students from:

About JEL

JEL front

Our Scope

The J. Everett Light Career Center is an area career center that serves 12 school corporations in Marion, Boone,and Hamilton Counties with 24 quality CTE programs:

On SIte...

Our facility consists of approximately 150,000 square feet including classrooms,laboratories, offices, and other instructional resource facilities. It is designed to accommodate over 1,000 students at any one time. Inside are...

  • A full service Beauty salon.
  • An onsite banking center with ATM.
  • A child care center that cares daily for thirty 3, 4, and 5 year olds.
  • A Health Occupations laboratory that contain simulated hospital rooms.
  • Dental laboratories that include a working dental clinic where patients are treated.
  • Computer laboratories ans a data center.
  • Administrative Support laboratories that closely resemble a working office environment.
  • WJEL-The most powerful high school radio station in Indianapolis. 
  • Television studios, that produce shows that have been aired on local cable stations. 
  • A print shop that provides printing services for our entire township.
  • Automotive maintainence & detiling, Auto collision repair snd welding shops where students obtain valuable “hands-on” experience.

We also have our own fire truck.

Dr. Light

About J. Everett Light

Dr. J. Everett Light,
(1911-1971)
Was a vocational teacher who went on to become the first superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township.

>>read more

As the new superintendent, it was his job to create a college preparatory system in the new district. This was a task that he accomplished beyond expectation.

In 1963, new federal legislation known as the Vocational Education Act of 1963 was enacted. This legislation sought to increase the amount of career and techbical training at the high school level to better prepare students to enter the workforce. TheVEA Act provided some federal money and assistance for buildings and equipment.

Seeing this as an opportunity to provide quality instruction for all students of MSDWT, Dr. Light proposed building a separate building in 1968. Eventually a final plan for the current building was approved in 1970 and was constructed and opened in the fall of 1972.

Dr. Light retired as Superintendent of MSDWT in 1971 while the center was still under construction. At his retirement party, the Board of Education surprised Dr. Light by revealing that the building would be named the J.Everett Light Career Center in his honor. Unfortunately, Dr. Light passed away in October 1971 before the building was completed, and he was never able to see his dream become a reality. His widow, Louise Light, worked in our Media Center from 1972-1982 until she retired.