Enrollment
684
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180007102443 Charter school
Aspire Charter Academy — Gary, IN
Federal NCES profile for Aspire Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 18
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Aspire Charter Academy · Indiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Free-lunch eligible
94.6%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+91% vs state
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Aspire Charter Academy reports 684 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 94.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 91% above the Indiana average and 83% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Aspire Charter Academy spends $15,611 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.4% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 20.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), calculated from 2 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Aspire Charter Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.6% | ▲ 91% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 684 | top 81% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
94.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 91% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
32.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,611
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 684 Top 81% in Indiana — larger than 19% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) —
Students per teacher —
Free-lunch eligible 94.6% +91% vs state
NCES ID 180007102443
Student demographics
African American 81.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 8.2%
White 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 81.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.9%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 88
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aspire Charter Academy, which includes Aspire Charter Academy.
$15,611
Per student
+7%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.4%
State 58.7%
Federal 20.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools in Gary
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Charter School of the Dunes
Standard public school
836 students 18:1 students per teacher
Glen Park Acad for Excel in Lrn
Standard public school
566 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Longfellow New Tech Elementary Sch
Standard public school
483 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Daniel Hale Williams Elem Sch
Standard public school
450 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School
Standard public school
447 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Beveridge Elementary School
Standard public school
374 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Aspire Charter Academy
How many students attend Aspire Charter Academy?
Aspire Charter Academy has 684 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Gary, IN.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Aspire Charter Academy?
94.6% of students at Aspire Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Aspire Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Aspire Charter Academy is African American at 81.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gary, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Aspire Charter Academy?
Aspire Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.