Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Q: Is Jonas E Salk Elementary School a good school?

Jonas E Salk Elementary School ranks 523 rd of 1010 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Jonas E Salk Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 587 students in grades PK-4 in Merrillville, Indiana, which is part of the Merrillville Community School Corporation district.

Despite being one of the most racially diverse schools in the area, with a significantly higher percentage of African American students compared to surrounding schools, Jonas E Salk Elementary consistently outperforms the Merrillville district in both English Language Arts and Math proficiency on state assessments. For example, in 2023-2024, 36.06% of Jonas E Salk students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 29.27% for the district. In Math, 49.06% of Jonas E Salk students were proficient or better, compared to 26.67% for the district. However, the school has seen a higher rate of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.1% to 28.0% over the past two years, which may be contributing to its academic challenges.

When compared to higher-performing nearby schools, such as James H. Watson Elementary in the Lake Central School Corporation, which had 55.4% of students proficient or better in ELA in 2023-2024, Jonas E Salk lags behind. This gap in academic achievement may be linked to the school's high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 63.45% to 64.74% over the past three years. Addressing these socioeconomic and attendance challenges could be key to improving Jonas E Salk Elementary's overall performance and ranking within the state.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

3001 W 77th Ave
Merrillville, IN 46410

(219) 650-5304

District: Merrillville Community School Corp

SchoolDigger Rank:
523^rd of 1,010 Indiana Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,174

Students who attend Jonas E Salk Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Merrillville Intermediate School
	Pierce Middle School
High:	Merrillville High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.4

Number of students: 593

Racial breakdown:

African American:

58.0%

Hispanic:

22.6%

White:

12.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 59.5%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Jonas E Salk Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Jonas E Salk Elementary School ranks worse than 51.8% of elementary schools in Indiana. It also ranks first among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Merrillville Community School Corp District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.22. (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 Jonas E Salk Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Merrillville Community School Corp District. Student population at Jonas E Salk Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (58%), Hispanic (22.6%), White (12.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 59.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Jonas E Salk Elementary School is 15.4. 3 elementary schools in the Merrillville Community School Corp District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Jonas E Salk Elementary School employs 38.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jonas E Salk Elementary School is $10,174, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Merrillville Community School Corp District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Jonas E Salk Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Merrillville Community School Corp:

SchoolDigger ranks Merrillville Community School Corp 267^th of 381 Indiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Jonas E Salk Elementary School.

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Rank History for Jonas E Salk Elementary School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IN State Percentile
2005	77.88	145^th	959	84.9%
2006	76.46	170^th	961	82.3%
2007	76.51	177^th	985	82.0%
2008	73.47	211^th	996	78.8%
2009	74.30	219^th	1003	78.2%
2010	71.19	280^th	1009	72.2%
2011	68.84	316^th	1025	69.2%
2012	83.45	89^th	1015	91.2%
2013	89.44	15^th	1035	98.6%
2014	75.51	193^rd	1036	81.4%
2015	74.15	230^th	1040	77.9%
2016	69.00	317^th	1046	69.7%
2017	69.61	308^th	1033	70.2%
2018	58.53	464^th	1027	54.8%
2019	57.72	457^th	1031	55.7%
2021	33.62	719^th	1016	29.2%
2022	47.59	571^st	1020	44.0%
2023	44.79	588^th	1016	42.1%
2024	50.22	523^rd	1010	48.2%

See the entire list of Indiana Elementary School Rankings!

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

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, April 12, 2018

Hello Everyone, my child attends Jonas Salk Elementy. Yesterday my son says a girl back hand slapped him during recess. Several of her friends circled him screaming you bet not hit her back. One of the recess monitors saw what happened and asked him do you want to me do something about this? My son says no out of fear and the little girl and group continues to play undisciplined. Why was it left to my child to make this decision? Why are some adults not taking things like this seriously. I have complained about the bullying for 2 years. My son has been kicked, kicked in his privates, slapped, and spit on with no resolution. Has anyone had this same experience? Thank you for reading. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	488	1	2	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	528
1989	509	1	1	45	0	n/a	n/a	0	556
1990	466	0	1	46	0	n/a	n/a	0	513
1991	449	4	2	48	0	n/a	n/a	0	503
1992	447	3	3	53	0	n/a	n/a	0	506
1993	389	5	0	36	1	n/a	n/a	0	431
1994	389	9	4	47	1	n/a	n/a	0	450
1995	368	9	7	42	0	n/a	n/a	2	428
1996	368	9	7	42	0	n/a	n/a	2	428
1997	379	16	6	32	0	n/a	n/a	4	437
1998	362	29	6	29	1	n/a	n/a	-1	426
1999	355	36	6	37	0	n/a	n/a	0	434
2000	369	36	7	33	0	n/a	n/a	0	445
2001	383	44	10	27	0	n/a	n/a	0	464
2002	298	76	9	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	419
2003	298	76	9	36	0	n/a	n/a	0	419
2004	272	116	12	47	1	n/a	n/a	0	448
2005	280	106	12	49	0	n/a	n/a	0	447
2006	272	146	11	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	479
2007	228	165	6	64	1	n/a	n/a	45	509
2008	217	186	8	69	0	n/a	n/a	42	522
2009	201	223	8	77	2	n/a	n/a	50	561
2010	172	289	14	67	3	n/a	n/a	57	602
2011	160	295	9	114	0	1	55	0	634
2012	152	300	6	126	1	0	45	0	630
2013	138	323	4	147	1	0	41	0	654
2014	138	304	4	174	1	0	44	0	665
2015	147	318	4	162	0	1	28	0	660
2016	135	337	7	170	0	0	32	0	681
2017	126	338	8	134	1	0	36	0	643
2018	125	328	9	138	0	0	36	0	636
2019	105	331	5	125	0	0	39	0	605
2020	94	310	6	131	0	0	49	0	590
2021	94	287	3	126	0	0	43	0	553
2022	94	301	4	120	1	1	29	0	550
2023	84	335	6	131	2	1	28	0	587
2024	72	344	7	134	2	0	34	0	593

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 Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	528	28.5	18.5	15.3
1989	556	27.5	20.2	8.1
1990	513	28.5	18.0	7.2
1991	503	25.8	19.4	7.6
1992	506	25.0	20.2	9.1
1993	431	23.4	18.4	10.2
1994	450	24.3	18.5	14.2
1995	428	23.0	18.6	16.2
1996	428	23.0	18.6	16.2
1997	437	n/a	0.0	15
1998	426	20.9	20.4	18.3
1999	434	17.9	24.2	17.7
2000	445	23.6	18.9	21.6
2001	464	25.1	18.5	20.7
2002	419	21.3	19.7	25.3
2003	419	21.3	19.7	25.3
2004	448	22.6	19.8	27.5
2005	447	23.8	18.8	33.3
2006	479	24.6	19.5	34.9
2007	509	n/a	n/a	44.6
2008	522	26.1	20.0	46.5
2009	561	27.3	20.5	53.6
2010	602	29.3	20.4	59.8
2011	634	29.7	21.2	59.8
2012	630	37.4	16.8	58.7
2013	654	35.4	18.4	60.9
2014	665	37.7	17.6	65.7
2015	660	35.0	18.8	63.5
2016	681	38.0	17.9	62.7
2017	643	37.0	17.3	59.7
2018	636	38.2	16.6	65.9
2019	605	38.0	15.9	66.8
2020	590	35.0	16.8	64.7
2021	553	35.0	15.8	64.7
2022	550	40.4	13.5	63.5
2023	587	36.8	15.9	64.4
2024	593	38.5	15.4	59.5

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 Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	528	28.5	18.5	15.3
1989	556	27.5	20.2	8.1
1990	513	28.5	18.0	7.2
1991	503	25.8	19.4	7.6
1992	506	25.0	20.2	9.1
1993	431	23.4	18.4	10.2
1994	450	24.3	18.5	14.2
1995	428	23.0	18.6	16.2
1996	428	23.0	18.6	16.2
1997	437	n/a	0.0	15
1998	426	20.9	20.4	18.3
1999	434	17.9	24.2	17.7
2000	445	23.6	18.9	21.6
2001	464	25.1	18.5	20.7
2002	419	21.3	19.7	25.3
2003	419	21.3	19.7	25.3
2004	448	22.6	19.8	27.5
2005	447	23.8	18.8	33.3
2006	479	24.6	19.5	34.9
2007	509	n/a	n/a	44.6
2008	522	26.1	20.0	46.5
2009	561	27.3	20.5	53.6
2010	602	29.3	20.4	59.8
2011	634	29.7	21.2	59.8
2012	630	37.4	16.8	58.7
2013	654	35.4	18.4	60.9
2014	665	37.7	17.6	65.7
2015	660	35.0	18.8	63.5
2016	681	38.0	17.9	62.7
2017	643	37.0	17.3	59.7
2018	636	38.2	16.6	65.9
2019	605	38.0	15.9	66.8
2020	590	35.0	16.8	64.7
2021	553	35.0	15.8	64.7
2022	550	40.4	13.5	63.5
2023	587	36.8	15.9	64.4
2024	593	38.5	15.4	59.5

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 Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$375 (4.4%)	$8,242 (95.6%)	$8,617
2020	$422 (4.9%)	$8,219 (95.1%)	$8,641
2021	$589 (6.4%)	$8,593 (93.6%)	$9,182
2022	$1,193 (11.7%)	$8,981 (88.3%)	$10,174

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Jonas E Salk Elementary 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 457^th of 1031 Elementary schools	Ranks 588^th of 1016 Elementary schools	13.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Jonas E Salk Elementary School)	45.2	40.9	4.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Merrillville Community School Corp)	40.5	25.1	15.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	46.3	39.7	6.6%
3rd Grade Math (Jonas E Salk Elementary School)	58.7	48.5	10.2%
3rd Grade Math (Merrillville Community School Corp)	56.2	36.5	19.7%
3rd Grade Math (Indiana)	58.7	53.1	5.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Jonas E Salk Elementary School)	55.8	29.9	25.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Merrillville Community School Corp)	45.3	24.9	20.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	45.8	40.3	5.5%
4th Grade Math (Jonas E Salk Elementary School)	55	44.3	10.7%
4th Grade Math (Merrillville Community School Corp)	54.5	33.5	21%
4th Grade Math (Indiana)	54	48.8	5.2%
4th Grade Science (Jonas E Salk Elementary School)	45.7	24.2	21.5%
4th Grade Science (Merrillville Community School Corp)	33.1	14.8	18.3%
4th Grade Science (Indiana)	46.3	37	9.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	605	587	3%
African American	331	335	1.2%
American Indian	0	2
Asian	5	6	20%
Hispanic	125	131	4.8%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	105	84	20%
Two or More Races	39	28	28.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	66.8%	64.4%	2.4%

Schools Near Jonas E Salk Elementary 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)	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 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	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 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jonas E Salk Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3001 W 77th Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5304	593	39	15.4	59.5%	72 (12.1%)	344 (58.0%)	134 (22.6%)	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.7%)	50.2	523^rd of 1010 public elementary schools	48.2%		44.8	588^th of 1016 public elementary schools	42.1%	65	29.0	42.8					36.1	45.4	52.6					49.1		$10,174	$1,193	$8,981
Homer Iddings Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	7249 VanBuren St	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5302	471	33	14.3	58.4%	57 (12.1%)	299 (63.5%)	81 (17.2%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (5.9%)	18.5	830^th of 1010 public elementary schools	17.8%		18.4	831^st of 1016 public elementary schools	18.2%	1	15.1	26.9					21.0	31.2	24.7					28.0		$10,674	$1,784	$8,889
Edgar L Miller Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	5901 Waite St	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5303	348	27	12.9	75.6%	18 (5.2%)	253 (72.7%)	56 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)	26.7	752^nd of 1010 public elementary schools	25.5%		18.8	829^th of 1016 public elementary schools	18.4%	77	26.2	22.4					23.9	43.9	31.3					36.1		$12,348	$1,888	$10,460
Henry P Fieler Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	407 W 61st Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5301	444	28	15.6	70.9%	40 (9.0%)	275 (61.9%)	96 (21.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.8%)	35.1	674^th of 1010 public elementary schools	33.3%		9.1	930^th of 1016 public elementary schools	8.5%	256	21.2	46.3					33.5	30.6	37.8					34.1		$10,779	$1,850	$8,929
Higher Institute of Arts & Technical	Public, Charter	K-8	5861 Harrison Street	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Higher Institute of Arts & Technical	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 359-1522	227	13	17.4	78.4%	9 (4.0%)	196 (86.3%)	10 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	9.6	937^th of 1010 public elementary schools	7.2%		4.7	1003^rd of 1016 public elementary schools	1.3%	66	3.9	25.0	8.7	18.5	14.3	24.0	15.8	11.5	8.3	13.0	7.4	4.8	4.0	8.2	8.7	$11,786	$4,436	$7,349
Peifer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1824 S Cline	Schererville	46375	Lake County	Lake Central School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 322-5335	444	29	15.5	38.1%	238 (53.6%)	57 (12.8%)	111 (25.0%)	14 (3.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	66.8	332^nd of 1010 public elementary schools	67.1%		69.8	306^th of 1016 public elementary schools	69.9%	26	50.0	45.1					47.2	57.9	52.0					54.5		$11,444	$345	$11,099
Timothy Ball Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	720 W Summit St	Crown Point	46307	Lake County	Crown Point Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 663-0047	634	38	16.6	32.3%	434 (68.5%)	32 (5.0%)	131 (20.7%)	19 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.4%)	71.8	273^rd of 1010 public elementary schools	73.0%		81.5	165^th of 1016 public elementary schools	83.8%	108	29.5	46.6	46.9				41.2	59.0	66.0	61.2				62.2	56.7	$10,317	$650	$9,667
Glen Park Academy for Excel in Learning	Public	K-5	5002 Madison St	Gary	46408	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 318-2800	533	24	22.2	54.2%	6 (1.1%)	473 (88.7%)	44 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.9%)	4	1008^th of 1010 public elementary schools	0.2%		4.9	999^th of 1016 public elementary schools	1.7%	9	6.9	6.4	8.0				7.1	4.0	4.6	2.0				3.5	4.0	$16,579	$5,265	$11,314
Homan Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	210 E Joliet	Schererville	46375	Lake County	Lake Central School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 322-4451	450	34	13.4	39.8%	245 (54.4%)	48 (10.7%)	111 (24.7%)	15 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	28 (6.2%)	74	253^rd of 1010 public elementary schools	75.0%		83.5	146^th of 1016 public elementary schools	85.6%	107	43.4	52.8					48.5	60.5	62.9					61.8		$12,811	$659	$12,152
Longfellow New Technical Elementary School	Public	K-4	45th/Calhoun Sts	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 923-7004	486	31	15.9	94.0%	160 (32.9%)	148 (30.5%)	146 (30.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	6.4	982^nd of 1010 public elementary schools	2.8%		8.1	948^th of 1016 public elementary schools	6.7%	34	12.7	12.6					12.6	10.1	10.5					10.3		$12,888	$3,529	$9,359

Frequently Asked Questions about Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Is Jonas E Salk Elementary School a good school?

Jonas E Salk Elementary School ranks 523^rd of 1010 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Jonas E Salk Elementary School in?

Merrillville Community School Corp

What schools do graduates of Jonas E Salk Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Jonas E Salk Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Merrillville Intermediate School
Middle : Pierce Middle School
High : Merrillville High School

What is the racial makeup of Jonas E Salk Elementary School?

Students at Jonas E Salk Elementary School are 58% African American, 23% Hispanic, 12% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Jonas E Salk Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 593 students attended Jonas E Salk Elementary 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.