Best Middle Schools in Gary, IN

The city of Gary, Indiana is home to three struggling middle schools: Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School, Bailly Middle School, and Gary Middle School. These schools serve grades 6-8 and face significant challenges, with low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and high rates of economic disadvantage among their student populations.

Across all three schools, proficiency rates on standardized tests like ILEARN are extremely low, often less than half the state average. For example, in 2024-2025, the proficiency rate in ILEARN Math for all grades was just 6.14% at Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School, 5.88% at Bailly Middle School, and 2.46% at Gary Middle School, compared to the Indiana state average of around 35-40%. Additionally, all three schools have high chronic absenteeism rates of 17.8%, well above the state average.

Despite relatively high per-student spending and student-teacher ratios, the schools are not seeing commensurate improvements in academic outcomes. This suggests that the Lake Ridge New Technical Schools and Gary Community School Corp districts face systemic challenges that require substantial intervention and support to address the needs of these struggling middle schools and improve educational opportunities for their students.