Elementary school (grades K-5) · Valparaiso, IN

Heavilin Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Heavilin Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 181197002637
0/100100/10062/100
👥 S:T ratio
36
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Heavilin Elementary School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median.

#1 of 15
elementary schools in Valparaiso · Resource Index
62
Resource Index · Higher
16:1
students per teacher
12.3%
free-lunch eligible

Heavilin Elementary School has class sizes near the Indiana median. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Heavilin Elementary School ranks #1 of 15 elementary schools in Valparaiso, IN.

Enrollment

479

Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16:1

vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg

+1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

12.3%

vs 49.5% Indiana avg

-75% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Heavilin Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Heavilin Elementary School

Heavilin Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Valparaiso, Indiana, enrolling 479 students.

At 16:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Indiana median, within a few percentage points of the 15.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.3% free-meal eligibility runs 75% below the Indiana average.

With 479 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,862 Indiana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 157 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 42/100).

Attendance holds up well here: only 7.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

Among Valparaiso's elementary schools, it stands alongside Cooks Corners Elementary School (487 students): Heavilin Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16:1 vs 23.2:1).

Valparaiso Community Schools also operates Valparaiso High School (2,089 students) and Benjamin Franklin Middle School (823 students) alongside Heavilin Elementary School.

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 Heavilin Elementary School compares

Heavilin Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Indiana Indiana avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16:1 ▲ 1% 15.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 12.3% ▼ 75% 49.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 479 top 45% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
479
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
12.3%
free-lunch eligible - 75% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher - 1% above state mean
Top 59% in Indiana - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,965
per pupil, district-wide - below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

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

White 74.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.0%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 3.5%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 42.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 42.1, Heavilin Elementary School is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valparaiso Community Schools, which includes Heavilin Elementary School.

$10,965
Per student
-9%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 55.6%
Federal 6.7%

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.

How Heavilin Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Valparaiso High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Benjamin Franklin Middle School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Thomas Jefferson Middle School Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Cooks Corners Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Flint Lake Elementary School Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Heavilin Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Valparaiso Community Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Valparaiso

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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 Heavilin Elementary School's federal record.

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 Heavilin Elementary School

How many students attend Heavilin Elementary School?

Heavilin Elementary School has 479 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Valparaiso, IN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Heavilin Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Heavilin Elementary School is 16:1, which is 1% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heavilin Elementary School?

12.3% of students at Heavilin Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heavilin Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Heavilin Elementary School is White at 74.5% of enrollment, in Valparaiso, IN.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Heavilin Elementary School?

Heavilin Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Heavilin Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Valparaiso?

By Resource Investment Index, Heavilin Elementary School ranks #1 of 15 elementary schools in Valparaiso, 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 Valparaiso on the city page.

Is Heavilin Elementary School a good school?

Heavilin Elementary School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Indiana median. 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 Valparaiso Community Schools?

Besides Heavilin Elementary School, Valparaiso Community Schools also operates Valparaiso High School (2,089 students), Benjamin Franklin Middle School (823 students), and Thomas Jefferson Middle School (632 students). See the Valparaiso Community Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.