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Best High Schools in Gary, IN

At a glance

Schools

2,179

Students

Districts

Top rankedWest Side Leadership Academy380^th of 429 Indiana high schools

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Biggest riser

West Side Leadership Academy up 26 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Calumet New Technical High School 14.9 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Excel Center - Gary

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Summary:

The city of Gary, Indiana is home to 4 high schools serving students in grades 9-12. These schools, located within the Gary Community School Corp, Lake Ridge New Technical Schools, Gary Middle College, and Excel Center - Gary districts, face significant challenges in student performance and outcomes.

Among the standout schools, Calumet New Technical High School has the highest test scores, with 24.83% of students proficient or better in ILEARN/Biology and 24.82% proficient or better in SAT/Evidence-based Reading and Writing. Additionally, it has a relatively lower student-teacher ratio of 15.1. In contrast, Excel Center - Gary has the lowest spending per student at $6,052, but also the lowest student-teacher ratio at 11.6, suggesting a more personalized learning environment.

Across all 4 high schools, there are consistent challenges, including low state-wide rankings, with West Side Leadership Academy and Gary Middle College ranking in the bottom 10 of Indiana high schools. Additionally, the schools have very low test scores compared to the state averages, and a consistently high chronic absenteeism rate of 17.8%. These systemic issues highlight the need for a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improve educational outcomes for the students in this community.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	ILEARN Biology (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Gary Middle College	Public, Charter	9-12	131 East 5th Ave	Gary	46402	Lake County	Gary Middle College	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 888-7120	202	10	14.9	26.2%	5 (2.5%)	175 (86.6%)	16 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	4.9	414^th of 429 public high schools	3.5%		5.7	417^th of 432 public high schools	3.5%	3	5.3	0.0		$11,562	$2,542	$9,020
Excel Center - Gary	Public, Charter	9-12	4610 W Ridge Road	Gary	46408	Lake County	Excel Center - Gary	Yes	No	No	No	(219) 789-5236	125	8	15.6	3.2%	13 (10.4%)	84 (67.2%)	20 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.6%)	4.6	416^th of 429 public high schools	3.0%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0		$6,052	$594	$5,458
Gary Career Center	Public	6-12	1800 E 35th Ave	Gary	46409	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 962-7571	0	14	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
West Side Leadership Academy	Public	9-12	9th & Gerry St	Gary	46406	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 413-9870	1,232	69	17.9	62.6%	7 (0.6%)	1,102 (89.4%)	78 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.7%)	12.3	380^th of 429 public high schools	11.4%		7.2	406^th of 432 public high schools	6.0%	26	20.5	9.1	9.4	$21,037	$6,127	$14,910
Calumet New Technical High School	Public	9-12	3900 Calhoun St	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 838-6990	620	42	14.9	90.6%	136 (21.9%)	309 (49.8%)	142 (22.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.7%)	11.2	383^rd of 429 public high schools	10.7%		15.8	367^th of 432 public high schools	15.0%	16	23.6	4.9	14.1	$14,358	$1,857	$12,500

Cities Near Gary

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Merrillville	2 mi	9	369^th
Crown Point	4.12 mi	10	27^th
Hobart	4.4 mi	9	318^th
Valparaiso	5.39 mi	24	59^th
Hebron	5.67 mi	4	179^th

See the top IN Indiana cities

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.