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Gary, Indiana - 1 schools
An equity score of 50/100 ranks Charter School of the Dunes #192 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,589 per pupil, Charter School of the Dunes ranks #322 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
684
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$10,589
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Charter School of the Dunes operates 1 public schools serving 684 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 $10,589 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 1.3% local, 75.0% state, and 23.7% 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 50/100, ranked #192 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 39.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.7% African American, 8.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% White across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Charter School of the Dunes, enrolling 836 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).
Charter School of the Dunes accounts for 100.0% of all Charter School of the Dunes student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Charter School of the Dunes a distant remainder — means Charter School of the Dunes-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.
Charter School of the Dunes has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 96.8% 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.
Charter School of the Dunes chronic absenteeism rate is 39.4% — 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.
How many schools are in Charter School of the Dunes?
Charter School of the Dunes has 1 school, including 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 684 students.
How much does Charter School of the Dunes spend per student?
Charter School of the Dunes spends $10,589 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #192 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of Charter School of the Dunes?
Charter School of the Dunes students are 84.7% African American, 8.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% White, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Charter School of the Dunes?
Charter School of the Dunes has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #192 out of 373 districts in Indiana.