Enrollment
465
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hammond, IN
Lew Wallace Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lew Wallace Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180432000743
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lew Wallace Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Indiana schools.
- #2 of 12
- schools in Hammond · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.9:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 77.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Lew Wallace Elementary School has class sizes larger than 79% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lew Wallace Elementary School ranks #2 of 12 schools in Hammond, IN.
School address
District: School City of Hammond · Indiana
NCES ID 180432000743 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lew Wallace Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lew Wallace Elementary School
Lew Wallace Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Hammond, Indiana, enrolling 465 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 77.2% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the Indiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 465 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 311 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #128.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Hammond's public schools, it stands alongside Warren G Harding Elementary School (755 students): Lew Wallace Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.9:1 vs 17.6:1).
School City of Hammond also operates Hammond Central High School (1,814 students) and Morton Senior High School (1,446 students) alongside Lew Wallace 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 Lew Wallace Elementary School compares
Lew Wallace 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.2% | ▲ 56% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 465 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.9:1
Leaner classes than 25% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
465
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 79% in Indiana - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$14,212
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
8
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School City of Hammond, which includes Lew Wallace Elementary School.
$14,212
Per student
+18%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 53.8%
Federal 19.7%
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 Lew Wallace Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Morton Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Warren G Harding Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Washington Irving Elementary Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thomas a Edison Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lew Wallace Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,814
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,446
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar other schools in Hammond
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Warren G Harding Elementary School
Standard public school
755 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Washington Irving Elementary Sch
Standard public school
754 students 16:1 students per teacher
Thomas a Edison Elementary School
Standard public school
705 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Annie Burns-Hicks Elementary School
Standard public school
622 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Joseph Hess Elementary School
Standard public school
611 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Hammond Academy of Science & Tech
Standard public school
578 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~465 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lew Wallace Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lew Wallace Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- School City of Hammond'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 Lew Wallace Elementary School
How many students attend Lew Wallace Elementary School?
Lew Wallace Elementary School has 465 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hammond, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lew Wallace Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lew Wallace Elementary School is 17.9:1, which is 13% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lew Wallace Elementary School?
77.2% of students at Lew Wallace Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lew Wallace Elementary School?
Lew Wallace Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Lew Wallace Elementary School rank among schools in Hammond?
By Resource Investment Index, Lew Wallace Elementary School ranks #2 of 12 schools in Hammond, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Hammond on the city page.
Is Lew Wallace Elementary School a good school?
Lew Wallace Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Indiana schools. 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 School City of Hammond?
Besides Lew Wallace Elementary School, School City of Hammond also operates Hammond Central High School (1,814 students), Morton Senior High School (1,446 students), and Warren G Harding Elementary School (755 students). See the School City of Hammond district page for the complete list.
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.