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Gary, Indiana - 1 schools
An equity score of 67/100 ranks Aspire Charter Academy #83 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,483 per pupil, Aspire Charter Academy ranks #32 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
666
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$15,483
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Aspire Charter Academy operates 1 public schools serving 666 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lake County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,483 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 41 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 20.4% local, 58.7% state, and 20.9% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 67/100, ranked #83 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 32.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 81.3% African American, 10.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% White across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Aspire Charter Academy, enrolling 684 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).
Aspire Charter Academy accounts for 100.0% of all Aspire Charter Academy student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Aspire Charter Academy a distant remainder — means Aspire Charter Academy-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Aspire Charter Academy has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 94.6% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Aspire Charter Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 32.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Aspire Charter Academy has 1 school, including 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 666 students.
How much does Aspire Charter Academy spend per student?
Aspire Charter Academy spends $15,483 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #83 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of Aspire Charter Academy?
Aspire Charter Academy students are 81.3% African American, 10.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% White, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Aspire Charter Academy?
Aspire Charter Academy has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #83 out of 373 districts in Indiana.