An equity score of 65/100 ranks Gary Community School Corp #91 of 372 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $27,740 per pupil, Gary Community School Corp ranks #5 of 405 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,076
Total Enrollment
10
Schools
$27,740
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
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 combined, 2 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. 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 $27,740 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 41 of 405 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 28.4% local, 50.2% state, and 21.4% 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 65/100, ranked #91 of 372 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 10 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 342.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 53.3% 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. Its most demographically mixed campus is Bailly Middle School, with a diversity index of 31.0/100.
Its largest campus is West Side Leadership Academy, enrolling 1,232 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Gary Virtual Academy, at 45 students, a 27x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
West Side Leadership Academy accounts for 28.1% of all Gary Community School Corp student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Gary Community School Corp-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
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 is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Gary Community School Corp reports 84.8% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
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 53.3% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
How many schools are in Gary Community School Corp?
Gary Community School Corp has 10 schools, including 1 high, 4 elementary, 3 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 4,076 students.
How much does Gary Community School Corp spend per student?
Gary Community School Corp spends $27,740 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #91 in Indiana.
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 65/100, ranking #91 out of 372 districts in Indiana.