Enrollment
286
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180017102614 Charter school
Steel City Academy — Gary, IN
Federal NCES profile for Steel City Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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: Steel City Academy · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Steel City Academy 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
Steel City Academy reports 286 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 84% above the Indiana average and 76% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 57.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Steel City Academy spends $14,078 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.2% from local sources (property taxes), 62.2% from the state, and 36.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Steel City Academy 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 3% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.0% | ▲ 84% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 286 | top 19% | — | — |
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
91.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 84% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 53% in Indiana — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
57.7%
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
$14,078
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
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
0
in-school suspensions + 124 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 286 Top 19% in Indiana — larger than 81% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.0% +84% vs state
NCES ID 180017102614
Student demographics
African American 92.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Two or More 3.1%
White 1.7%
Largest group: African American at 92.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 57.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 124
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Steel City Academy, which includes Steel City Academy.
$14,078
Per student
-3%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.2%
State 62.2%
Federal 36.6%
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.
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
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr
Standard public school
231 students 19.9:1 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 Steel City Academy
How many students attend Steel City Academy?
Steel City Academy has 286 students enrolled. It is a other school in Gary, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Steel City Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Steel City Academy is 15.6:1, which is 3% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 2% lower 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 Steel City Academy?
91.0% of students at Steel City Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Steel City Academy?
The largest demographic group at Steel City Academy is African American at 92.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gary, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Steel City Academy?
Steel City Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.