Gary Community School Corp operates 10 public schools serving 4,076 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 3 other, 2 middle, 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 4,383 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Lake County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $22,286 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 28.4% local, 50.2% state, and 21.4% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $77,003 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 62/100, ranked #94 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 342.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 63.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 88.0% African American, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% White across the district's schools.
West Side Leadership Academy accounts for 28.1% of all Gary Community School Corp student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Gary Community School Corp-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Gary Community School Corp school enrollment varies 27× across entities
Gary Community School Corp school enrollment ranges from 45 students (lowest) to 1,232 students (highest), a spread of 1,187 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Gary Community School Corp has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 84.6% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants 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.
Gary Community School Corp student-counselor ratio is 343:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Gary Community School Corp is typically wider than the Gary Community School Corp-aggregate figure suggests.
Gary Community School Corp chronic absenteeism rate is 63.7% — 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 Gary Community School Corp?
Gary Community School Corp has 10 schools, including 1 high, 4 elementary, 3 other, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 4,076 students.
How much does Gary Community School Corp spend per student?
Gary Community School Corp spends $22,286 per student. The district has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #94 in Indiana.
What is the average teacher salary in Gary Community School Corp?
The average teacher salary in Gary Community School Corp is $77,003 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Gary Community School Corp?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Lake County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Gary Community School Corp?
Gary Community School Corp students are 88.0% African American, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% White, averaged across 10 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Gary Community School Corp?
Gary Community School Corp has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #94 out of 373 districts in Indiana. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.