Enrollment
447
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 180546000992
Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School — Gary, IN
Federal NCES profile for Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 21
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: Lake Ridge New Tech 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.5%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Ridge New Tech Middle 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
Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School reports 447 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 90.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 83% above the Indiana average and 75% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 447 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lake Ridge New Tech Schools spends $16,058 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.6% from local sources (property taxes), 61.2% from the state, and 17.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Lake Ridge New Tech Middle 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 14% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.5% | ▲ 83% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 447 | top 49% | — | — |
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
90.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 83% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 84% in Indiana — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$16,058
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 447 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 105 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 447 Top 49% in Indiana — larger than 51% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 90.5% +83% vs state
NCES ID 180546000992
Student demographics
African American 39.1%
White 28.0%
Hispanic or Latino 27.3%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 39.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 447:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 105
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Ridge New Tech Schools, which includes Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School.
$16,058
Per student
+10%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.6%
State 61.2%
Federal 17.2%
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
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
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
Aspire Charter Academy
Standard public school
684 students
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
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 Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School
How many students attend Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School?
Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School has 447 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Gary, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School is 18.3:1, which is 14% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School?
90.5% of students at Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School is African American at 39.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gary, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School?
Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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.