Public schools in Gary, IN
Gary has 21 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 4 high, 3 middle, 9 elementary, 5 other, enrolling 11,157 students. They are run by 10 districts and agencies; Gary Community School Corporation runs 10 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 10 districts and agencies that run Gary's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Gary | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Community School Corporation | 10 | 4,076 | $27,740 |
| Lake Ridge New Tech Schools | 3 | 1,619 | $14,662 |
| 21st Century Charter Sch of Gary | 1 | 1,337 | $14,949 |
| Gary Lighthouse Charter School | 1 | 1,127 | $17,319 |
| Charter School of the Dunes | 1 | 684 | $12,814 |
| Thea Bowman Academy | 1 | 840 | $13,755 |
| Aspire Charter Academy | 1 | 666 | $20,149 |
| Steel City Academy | 1 | 343 | $20,808 |
| Gary Middle College | 1 | 176 | $11,886 |
| Excel Center - Gary | 1 | 145 | $5,310 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
4 high schools in Gary, 2,179 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Side Leadership Academy | 1,232 | 18.0 | 60.8% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Calumet New Tech High School | 620 | 14.9 | 85.3% | Lake Ridge New Tech Schools |
| Gary Middle College | 202 | 17.6 | 25.7% | Gary Middle College |
| Excel Center - Gary | 125 | 15.6 | 3.2% | Excel Center - Gary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 middle schools in Gary, 1,167 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School | 447 | 16.9 | 89.5% | Lake Ridge New Tech Schools |
| Gary Middle School | 365 | 14.4 | 61.1% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Bailly Middle School | 355 | 12.8 | 58.9% | Gary Community School Corporation |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
9 elementary schools in Gary, 4,389 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter School of the Dunes | 836 | 17.8 | 67.2% | Charter School of the Dunes |
| Aspire Charter Academy | 684 | 20.7 | 89.0% | Aspire Charter Academy |
| Glen Park Acad for Excel in Lrn | 566 | 15.3 | 56.9% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Longfellow New Tech Elementary School | 483 | 19.3 | 74.5% | Lake Ridge New Tech Schools |
| Frankie Woods McCullough Academy | 472 | 15.6 | 56.4% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School | 450 | 15.9 | 68.7% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Beveridge Elementary School | 374 | 16.7 | 64.7% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Banneker Elementary at Marquette | 293 | 18.0 | 63.1% | Gary Community School Corporation |
| Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr | 231 | 23.1 | 41.1% | Gary Community School Corporation |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
5 other schools in Gary, 3,422 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st Century Charter Sch of Gary | 1,180 | not reported | 72.7% | 21st Century Charter Sch of Gary |
| Gary Lighthouse Charter School | 1,138 | 15.2 | 98.8% | Gary Lighthouse Charter School |
| Thea Bowman Leadership Academy | 773 | 17.2 | 59.6% | Thea Bowman Academy |
| Steel City Academy | 286 | 8.9 | 69.6% | Steel City Academy |
| Gary Virtual Academy | 45 | 20.0 | 62.2% | Gary Community School Corporation |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Gary's public schools compare with Indiana's
The median Gary school has 16.7 students per full-time teacher, more than the Indiana median of 14.8. 62% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 43% across the state. Its median school enrolls 450 students (state 456).
| Gary | Indiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 16.7 | 14.8 |
| Median school size (students) | 450 | 456 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 62% | 43% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 90% | 38% |
| Charter schools | 38% | 6.3% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 21 Gary schools and the 1,822 Indiana schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Gary
- Gary Community School CorporationRuns 10 of Gary's 21 public schools and spent $27,740 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$27,740
- West Side Leadership Academy, the largest high school in Gary1,232 students in 2024-25, 18.0 per teacher.1,232
- Compare Gary Community School Corporation with Lake Ridge New Tech SchoolsGary's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in IndianaIndiana's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Gary addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Indiana
- Indianapolis219 schools
- Fort Wayne74 schools
- Evansville40 schools
- South Bend35 schools
- Elkhart29 schools
- Bloomington26 schools
- Lafayette24 schools
- Valparaiso23 schools
Questions about schools in Gary
How many public schools are in Gary, IN?
21 public schools with an address in Gary were open in 2024-25: 4 high, 3 middle, 9 elementary, 5 other, enrolling 11,157 students. 8 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Gary?
West Side Leadership Academy, with 1,232 students in 2024-25 (Gary Community School Corporation).Which districts run Gary's schools?
Gary Community School Corporation (10 schools), Lake Ridge New Tech Schools (3 schools), 21st Century Charter Sch of Gary (1 school), Gary Lighthouse Charter School (1 school), and 6 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25