Gary Middle School

Summary:

Gary Middle School is a public middle school located in Gary, Indiana, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 326 students. The school has a predominantly African American student population, with 90.49% of students identifying as African American in the 2022-2023 school year, and is part of the Gary Community School Corporation, which is ranked 373 out of 381 school districts in Indiana and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gary Middle School faces significant challenges, with an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate ranging from 81.0% to 86.3% over the past three school years, well above the state average and nearby schools. Academically, the school's performance is also extremely low, with only 12.5% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and a mere 0.95% proficient or better in Math in the 2023-2024 school year. This places Gary Middle School in the bottom 10% of Indiana middle schools, with a ranking between 463 and 480 out of 470-490 schools over the past five school years and a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

When compared to nearby schools, the differences are stark. For example, Chesterton Middle School, about 9.5 miles away, has significantly higher ILEARN test scores, with 65.79% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 63.64% in Math, as well as a much lower chronic absenteeism rate of 19.8% and a higher percentage of white students (75.68%). Despite the significant increase in spending per student at Gary Middle School, from $8,626 in 2018-2019 to $18,213 in 2021-2022, the academic outcomes have not improved, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be enough to address the challenges facing the school.

Detail:

Public 6-8

301 Parke St
Gary, IN 46403

(219) 321-8547

District: Gary Community School Corp

SchoolDigger Rank:
470^th of 485 Indiana Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,213

Students who attend Gary Middle School usually attend:

High:

West Side Leadership Academy

Feeder schools for Gary Middle School:

Elementary:	Banneker Elementary at Marquette
	Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.5

Number of students: 326

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.5%

Hispanic:

5.2%

Two or more races:

3.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 89.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Gary Middle School ranks worse than 96.9% of middle schools in Indiana. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.27. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (90.5%), Hispanic (5.2%), two or more races (3.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 89.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gary Middle School is 15.5. (See more...)

Compare Gary Middle School employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gary Middle School is $18,213.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Gary Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Gary Middle School 470^th of 485 Indiana public middle schools. (See Gary Middle School in the ranking list.)

Gary Community School Corp:

SchoolDigger ranks Gary Community School Corp 374^th of 381 Indiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Gary Middle School

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IN State Percentile
2019	2.83	463^rd	470	1.5%
2021	6.13	468^th	483	3.1%
2022	6.02	479^th	490	2.2%
2023	5.61	480^th	489	1.8%
2024	7.27	470^th	485	3.1%

See the entire list of Indiana Middle School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Indiana Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

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Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Gary Middle School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Hispanic	Two or More Races	Total
2019	21	896	24	51	992
2020	6	408	11	19	444
2021	4	422	15	17	458
2022	1	322	14	18	355
2023	2	295	17	12	326

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Gary Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	992	29.0	34.2	100
2020	444	27.1	16.3	100
2021	458	29.5	15.4	100
2022	355	23.0	15.4	86.5
2023	326	21.0	15.5	89.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Gary Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	992	29.0	34.2	100
2020	444	27.1	16.3	100
2021	458	29.5	15.4	100
2022	355	23.0	15.4	86.5
2023	326	21.0	15.5	89.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Gary Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,434 (16.6%)	$7,192 (83.4%)	$8,626
2020	$2,001 (17.5%)	$9,444 (82.5%)	$11,444
2021	$3,056 (25.1%)	$9,105 (74.9%)	$12,161
2022	$5,210 (28.6%)	$13,003 (71.4%)	$18,213

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Gary Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 463^rd of 470 Middle schools	Ranks 480^th of 489 Middle schools	0.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Gary Middle School)	13.1	6.5	6.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Gary Community School Corp)	13.1	9.2	3.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	47.8	40.8	7%
6th Grade Math (Gary Middle School)	6	0	6%
6th Grade Math (Gary Community School Corp)	6	0.9	5.1%
6th Grade Math (Indiana)	46.4	38.3	8.1%
6th Grade Science (Gary Middle School)	8	3.7	4.3%
6th Grade Science (Gary Community School Corp)	8	6.1	2%
6th Grade Science (Indiana)	48.6	38.2	10.4%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Gary Middle School)	14	11.6	2.4%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Gary Community School Corp)	14	9.1	5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	49.7	39.5	10.2%
7th Grade Math (Gary Middle School)	2	1.2	0.8%
7th Grade Math (Gary Community School Corp)	2	0.5	1.6%
7th Grade Math (Indiana)	42	32.9	9.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Gary Middle School)	12.4	9.5	2.9%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Gary Community School Corp)	12.4	10.8	1.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	50.7	43.8	6.9%
8th Grade Math (Gary Middle School)	2	0	2%
8th Grade Math (Gary Community School Corp)	2	1.3	0.7%
8th Grade Math (Indiana)	38	31.4	6.6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	992	326	67.1%
African American	896	295	67.1%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	24	17	29.2%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	21	2	90.5%
Two or More Races	51	12	76.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	89.3%	10.7%

Schools Near Gary Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2024)					ILEARN Math (2024)					ILEARN Social Studies (2024)	ILEARN Biology (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gary Middle School	Public	6-8	301 Parke St	Gary	46403	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 321-8547	326	21	15.5	89.3%	2 (0.6%)	295 (90.5%)	17 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.7%)	7.3	470^th of 485 public middle schools	3.1%		5.6	480^th of 489 public middle schools	1.8%	10		12.6	10.9	14.0	12.5		2.5	0.0	0.0	1.0			$18,213	$5,210	$13,003
William Fegely Middle School	Public	6-8	5384 Stone Ave	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8150	633	41	15.6	66.2%	283 (44.7%)	111 (17.5%)	188 (29.7%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.1%)	36.8	317^th of 485 public middle schools	34.6%		38.9	304^th of 489 public middle schools	37.8%	13		32.0	29.5	30.3	30.6		15.2	27.9	24.1	22.2		62.5	$11,068	$915	$10,153
Willowcreek Middle School	Public	6-8	5962 Central Ave	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8090	949	62	15.4	59.0%	483 (50.9%)	148 (15.6%)	266 (28.0%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.0%)	41.6	290^th of 485 public middle schools	40.2%		42.8	271^st of 489 public middle schools	44.6%	19		27.1	31.3	37.5	32.1		25.8	25.9	25.9	25.9		74.4	$10,764	$898	$9,866
River Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	3300 Indiana St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	River Forest Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 962-7551	379	23	16.8	87.1%	136 (35.9%)	51 (13.5%)	161 (42.5%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (6.9%)	17.6	400^th of 485 public middle schools	17.5%		19.8	393^rd of 489 public middle schools	19.6%	7		23.4	20.8	24.4	22.9		10.8	9.9	6.5	9.0			$8,369	$453	$7,916
Hobart Middle School	Public	6-8	36 E 8th St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	School City of Hobart	No	No	No	No	(219) 942-8541	917	49	18.9	53.7%	546 (59.5%)	78 (8.5%)	239 (26.1%)	14 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (4.0%)	60.3	184^th of 485 public middle schools	62.1%		56.9	207^th of 489 public middle schools	57.7%	23		41.7	43.0	43.9	42.9		41.8	29.1	26.2	32.5		60.7	$10,636	$916	$9,720
Bailly Middle School	Public	6-8	4621 Georgia St	Gary	46409	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-6326	383	30	12.7	85.1%	5 (1.3%)	337 (88.0%)	29 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	9.9	448^th of 485 public middle schools	7.6%		7.4	470^th of 489 public middle schools	3.9%	22		15.7	16.9	14.7	15.7		6.1	3.4	1.8	3.9			$16,955	$5,209	$11,746
Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School	Public	5-8	3601 W 41st Ave	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-0730	476	27	17.9	91.8%	153 (32.1%)	165 (34.7%)	119 (25.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.4%)	7.6	469^th of 485 public middle schools	3.3%		11.8	439^th of 489 public middle schools	10.2%	30	13.8	12.0	10.4	11.1	11.8	9.6	2.9	4.7	1.7	4.5	5.3		$12,639	$2,884	$9,755
Merrillville Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1400 W 61st Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5306	855	60	14.3	71.3%	79 (9.2%)	549 (64.2%)	173 (20.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.7%)								(n/a)	25.6	28.5			27.2	31.3	26.5			28.8	24.2		$9,473	$1,287	$8,186
Liberty Intermediate School	Public	5-6	50 W 900 N	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(219) 983-3690	351	23	15.3	24.2%	272 (77.5%)	7 (2.0%)	54 (15.4%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)								(n/a)	68.0	60.7			64.4	71.3	61.9			66.7	69.1		$12,071	$531	$11,540
Pierce Middle School	Public	7-8	199 E 70th Pl	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5308	919	63	14.5	70.1%	66 (7.2%)	617 (67.1%)	172 (18.7%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.0%)	27.8	354^th of 485 public middle schools	27.0%		28.8	349^th of 489 public middle schools	28.6%	5			27.8	32.5	30.2			11.0	14.5	12.8			$10,395	$1,172	$9,223

Frequently Asked Questions about Gary Middle School

What high school do graduates of Gary Middle School attend?

Students who attend Gary Middle School usually go on to attend West Side Leadership Academy

How many students attend Gary Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 326 students attended Gary Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Gary Middle School?

Students at Gary Middle School are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Gary Middle School in?

Gary Community School Corp

Is Gary Middle School a good school?

Gary Middle School ranks in the bottom 3.1% of Indiana middle schools.

Rate Gary Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.