Enrollment
231
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180387000640
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr — Gary, IN
Federal NCES profile for Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 16
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: Gary Community School Corp · 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr 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
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr reports 231 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Indiana average and 44% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gary Community School Corp spends $22,286 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.4% from local sources (property taxes), 50.2% from the state, and 21.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr 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 | 19.9:1 | ▲ 24% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.4% | ▲ 50% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 231 | top 12% | — | — |
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
74.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 92% in Indiana — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.8%
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
$22,286
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 231 Top 12% in Indiana — larger than 88% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.4% +50% vs state
NCES ID 180387000640
Student demographics
African American 87.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 3.0%
White 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 87.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gary Community School Corp, which includes Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr.
$22,286
Per student
+53%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 50.2%
Federal 21.4%
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
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 566
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 472
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 374
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar other schools in Gary
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
21st Century Charter Sch of Gary
Standard public school
1,180 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Gary Lighthouse Charter School
Standard public school
1,138 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
Standard public school
773 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Frankie Woods Mccullough Academy
Standard public school
472 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Steel City Academy
Standard public school
286 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Gary Virtual Academy
Standard public school
45 students 56.3:1 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 Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr
How many students attend Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr has 231 students enrolled. It is a other school in Gary, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is 19.9:1, which is 24% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
74.4% of students at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
The largest demographic group at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is African American at 87.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gary, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.