Enrollment
416
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180657001150
Joy Elementary School — Michigan City, IN
Federal NCES profile for Joy Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 12
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: Michigan City Area Schools · 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.
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joy Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
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
Joy Elementary School reports 416 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% above the Indiana average and 49% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 416 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Michigan City Area Schools spends $18,925 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 66.9% from local sources (property taxes), 27.9% from the state, and 5.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Joy Elementary School 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 1% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.0% | ▲ 56% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 416 | top 43% | — | — |
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
77.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 57% in Indiana — lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.3%
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
$18,925
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 416 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 416 Top 43% in Indiana — larger than 57% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.0% +56% vs state
NCES ID 180657001150
Student demographics
White 39.7%
African American 34.1%
Two or More 14.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 39.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 416:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.3%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Michigan City Area Schools, which includes Joy Elementary School.
$18,925
Per student
+30%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 66.9%
State 27.9%
Federal 5.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,506
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Michigan City
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Joy Elementary School
How many students attend Joy Elementary School?
Joy Elementary School has 416 students enrolled. It is a other school in Michigan City, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joy Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Joy Elementary School is 15.9:1, which is 1% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joy Elementary School?
77.0% of students at Joy Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joy Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Joy Elementary School is White at 39.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Michigan City, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joy Elementary School?
Joy Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.