Enrollment
684
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gary, IN
Aspire Charter Academy
Federal NCES profile for Aspire Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180007102443Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Aspire Charter Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #5 of 8
- elementary schools in Gary · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 94.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 684
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Aspire Charter Academy ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in Gary, IN.
School address
District: Aspire Charter Academy · Indiana
NCES ID 180007102443 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
94.6%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+91% vs state
What stands out at Aspire Charter Academy
Aspire Charter Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Gary, Indiana, enrolling 684 students.
Economic need is high: 94.6% of students qualify for free meals, 91% above the Indiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 684 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,862 Indiana schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 65 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #51, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Aspire Charter Academy spends $15,483 per pupil, 28% above the Indiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 20.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Gary's elementary schools, it stands alongside Charter School of the Dunes (836 students): Aspire Charter Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Aspire Charter Academy is a single-school charter district, so Aspire Charter Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Aspire Charter Academy compares
Aspire Charter Academy on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.6% | ▲ 91% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 684 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
684
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 91% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
32.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,483
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Somewhat 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
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
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.
Student-body diversity index 32.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.2, Aspire Charter Academy is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aspire Charter Academy, which includes Aspire Charter Academy.
$15,483
Per student
+28%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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 22:1 students per teacher
Glen Park Acad for Excel in Lrn
Standard public school
566 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Longfellow New Tech Elementary Sch
Standard public school
483 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Daniel Hale Williams Elem Sch
Standard public school
450 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School
Standard public school
447 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Beveridge Elementary School
Standard public school
374 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Aspire Charter Academy's federal record.
- Compare Aspire Charter Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Aspire Charter Academy's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Aspire Charter Academy
How many students attend Aspire Charter Academy?
Aspire Charter Academy has 684 students enrolled. It is an 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% of enrollment, in Gary, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Aspire Charter Academy?
Aspire Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Aspire Charter Academy rank among elementary schools in Gary?
By Resource Investment Index, Aspire Charter Academy ranks #5 of 8 elementary schools in Gary, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Gary on the city page.
Is Aspire Charter Academy a good school?
Aspire Charter Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Aspire Charter Academy?
None; Aspire Charter Academy is a single-school charter district, and Aspire Charter Academy is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.