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Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

942^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Alternative Schools

Better than 6% of Indiana alternative schools

Summary

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy is an alternative public charter school located in Gary, Indiana, serving 849 students in grades K-12 with a focus on leadership development. While the school has consistently high graduation rates, it faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates well below state averages in core subject areas.

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy's four-year graduation rates have ranged from 87.2% to 95.0% in recent years, outperforming the state average. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by ILEARN and SAT test scores, is significantly below state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (17.65%) and Math (11.14%) were less than half the state averages. The school's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.8% to 29.6%, are also an area of concern that requires targeted interventions.

Compared to nearby charter schools like Steel City Academy and 21st Century Charter School of Gary, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy's academic performance lags behind, with those schools reporting higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math. The school's high-need population, with 70.12% to 74.09% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, likely contributes to the academic challenges. To improve student outcomes, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy should consider implementing targeted interventions, exploring best practices from higher-performing schools, and strengthening partnerships with families and the local community.

773

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,770

Per pupil spending ?

63.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3401 W 5th Ave
Gary, IN 46406

(219) 944-3100

District: Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.8%

Hispanic:

4.9%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Thea Bowman Leadership Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2022 → 8th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2022

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (13% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Indiana average (71% vs 90%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg13%

Indiana avg41%

Elementary school

942^nd of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

417^th of 480

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

393^rd of 429

Indiana public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	8.7	942 of 1005	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	925 of 1011	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	881 of 1016	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	927 of 1020	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.3	990 of 1016	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	908 of 1031	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	916 of 1027	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.5	952 of 1033	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	14.3	933 of 1046	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.7	793 of 1040	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.8	915 of 1036	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.0	854 of 1035	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	47.5	648 of 1015	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	25.8	851 of 1025	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.5	772 of 1009	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	11.9	927 of 1003	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	31.6	788 of 996	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.3	899 of 985	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	27.5	792 of 961	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	5.5	931 of 959	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.1	324 of 326	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	417 of 480	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	408 of 491	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	417 of 489	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	472 of 490	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	448 of 483	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	433 of 470	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	432 of 473	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.9	416 of 472	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.0	428 of 494	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.5	388 of 485	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.7	401 of 470	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.5	376 of 444	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.2	337 of 447	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.4	404 of 451	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	54.3	229 of 428	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	8.6	398 of 423	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	31.1	321 of 392	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	42.6	273 of 382	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.4	292 of 375	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	6.0	359 of 370	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	393 of 429	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	389 of 432	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	375 of 398	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.1	404 of 409	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.3	362 of 388	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.5	369 of 389	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.6	366 of 385	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.6	365 of 380	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.7	366 of 394	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.2	356 of 400	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.9	254 of 379	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	12.7	348 of 373	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	9.7	346 of 364	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.4	348 of 362	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	47.0	243 of 364	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.3	208 of 360	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	21.7	319 of 354	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	94 of 132	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	81 of 132	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.0	98 of 125	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	118 of 125	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	5.2	381 of 387	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	368 of 392	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	358 of 388	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	350 of 377	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	352 of 377	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	364 of 379	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	347 of 386	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	366 of 392	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	369 of 383	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

High school

African American (2025)29th percentile+20 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing27%-28 vs state

English Language Arts18%

Social Studies12%-26 vs state

Math11%

Biology11%-34 vs state

Science7%

Mathematics0%-25 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Well firstly I would like to state that I very much hate this school. The class is always noisy and most of the teachers play entirely to much. We get wrote up and sent to in-house over the smallest and dumbest of things. When you get sent to in-house all you do is just sit in a room and do nothing. We are missing valuable time that could be spent learning ( if the students could be put under control) in a room where we do nothing. Thea Bowman portrays to be a great school but in reality it's all just a lie. My parents think this school is so great but it is not. I hate this school with a passion and rate it a zero.! Close Quote

Schools Near Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)							ILEARN Math (2025)							ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	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 Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science 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
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	3401 W 5th Ave	Gary	46406	Lake County	Thea Bowman Leadership Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 944-3100	773	45	17.1	63.8%	0 (0.0%)	717 (92.8%)	38 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.3%)								(n/a)	26.5	0.0	14.0	14.6	18.4	13.3	14.1	30.3	17.7	15.5	15.0	15.0	11.5	3.2	8.8	11.1	8.3	0.0	6.6	12.5	11.1	$14,770	$5,689	$9,081
Gary Lighthouse Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	725 Clark Road	Gary	46406	Lake County	Gary Lighthouse Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 977-9583	1,138	75	15.1	98.9%	14 (1.2%)	985 (86.6%)	101 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (3.3%)								(n/a)	10.2	3.7	19.4	20.5	6.5	24.7	18.0	20.0	18.1	11.9	6.4	10.4	6.9	7.6	8.0	8.5	18.0	15.1	16.6	1.3	11.3	$16,928	$7,371	$9,557
21st Century Charter School of Gary	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	556 Washington St	Gary	46402	Lake County	21st Century Charter School of Gary	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 886-9339	1,180	10	118.0	77.4%	1 (0.1%)	1,088 (92.2%)	64 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (2.2%)								(n/a)	25.7	2.7	26.3	20.5	19.4	8.6	11.7	20.3	18.3	42.5	30.8	20.2	8.8	4.0	5.1	19.2	15.4	10.3	13.2	6.4	16.5	$13,965	$3,768	$10,197
Steel City Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2650 W 35th Avenue	Gary	46408	Lake County	Steel City Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 750-1010	286	32	8.9	78.7%	5 (1.7%)	263 (92.0%)	9 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)								(n/a)	54.2	0.0	31.6	0.0	20.8	11.5	16.7	58.8	20.9	15.8	0.0	4.2	7.7	0.0	17.7	6.7	12.5	7.7	10.0	4.2	43.5	$18,967	$8,599	$10,368
Gary Virtual Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	1800 E 35th Ave	Gary	46409	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 881-5466	45	2	20.0	62.2%	2 (4.4%)	39 (86.7%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.7%)								(n/a)	25.0	0.0						0.0	4.8						0.0	0.0						$11,053	$4,617	$6,436
Eagle Park Community School	Public, Alternative	K-12	2150 W 97th Place	Crown Point	46307	Lake County	NW Indiana Special Education Coop	No	No	No	No	(219) 769-4000	87	8	10.8	26.4%	53 (60.9%)	8 (9.2%)	21 (24.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.6%)								(n/a)									11.8							0.0						$00
Northwest Indiana Online School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	601 W Morgan Ave	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	Yes	No	(219) 983-3743	130	1	117.1	33.1%	92 (70.8%)	7 (5.4%)	25 (19.2%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)								(n/a)	33.3	4.8					43.8	31.8	37.7					25.0	14.3	23.1					43.5	$8,966	$2,746	$6,220
Porter County Education Services	Public, Alternative	K-12	750 Ransom Rd	Valparaiso	46385	Porter County	Porter County Education Services	No	No	No	No	(219) 464-9607	0	18	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	33.3	0.0							5.0							9.5

Frequently Asked Questions about Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

How many students attend Thea Bowman Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 773 students attended Thea Bowman Leadership Academy.

What district is Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in?

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

Is Thea Bowman Leadership Academy a good school?

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 6.3% of Indiana alternative schools.

What is the racial makeup of Thea Bowman Leadership Academy?

Students at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy are 93% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

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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.