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East Chicago Lighthouse

Public, Charter Grades K-8

877^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,015 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

East Chicago Lighthouse is a K–8 charter school in East Chicago, Indiana, serving 495 students as part of the East Chicago Lighthouse Charter district, which ranked 345th of 374 Indiana districts (8th percentile, 0 stars). In 2025–26 the school ranked 877th of 1,015 Indiana schools (14th percentile, 1 star) — its best result in the available history, after years near the 4th–6th percentile with 0 stars.

Two things stand out about this school's students and community. First, 98.99% were eligible for free or reduced lunch in 2024–25, far above every nearby school; the next highest nearby figures are 75.89% at East Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and 74% at Benjamin Harrison Elementary School, against a nearby median of 66.67%. Second, chronic absenteeism was 42.5% in 2024–25, higher than every nearby school and roughly 2.5 times the state rate of 16.7%; it has edged down from 48.5% in 2021–22 but has stayed near 41–43% since. Per-pupil spending was $13,814 in 2023–24, above the nearby median of $12,860 and above Whiting's Nathan Hale Elementary School ($11,411); the student-teacher ratio of 16.5 is close to the nearby median of 16.3.

Academically, results are mixed. In 2025–26 all-grade ELA (17.61%) and Science (17.39%) were slightly above nearby medians, but Math (13.71%) fell well below the nearby median of 22.81%, and all three remain far below state grade-level benchmarks. Bright spots include 5th grade ELA at 31.48% and 4th grade Science at 32.5%; 6th grade Science (5.77%) was the lowest among nearby schools reporting it, and Math stayed below 17% in every grade. The closest charter peer, East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy, ranked 539th of 1,015 (47th percentile, 2 stars) with roughly double the proficiency in all three subjects, lower absenteeism (25.6%), and less poverty (63.68%). Compared with School City of East Chicago schools, East Chicago Lighthouse posts higher ELA than some but lower Math than several, while serving a more disadvantaged and more frequently absent student body.

495

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,814

Per pupil spending ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3916 Pulaski
East Chicago, IN 46312

(219) 378-7450

District: East Chicago Lighthouse Charter

Racial breakdown:

African American:

54.9%

Hispanic:

41.4%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare East Chicago Lighthouse to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2016 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (17% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 17% Indiana)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg17%

Indiana avg47%

Elementary school

877^th of 1,015

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

435^th of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

345^th of 374East Chicago Lighthouse Charter among Indiana districts

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
2026	13.9	877 of 1015	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.6	965 of 1005	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	962 of 1011	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	950 of 1016	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	966 of 1020	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.4	951 of 1016	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	925 of 1031	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	976 of 1027	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	4.8	989 of 1033	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.0	989 of 1046	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.4	920 of 1040	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.7	933 of 1036	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	17.8	930 of 1035	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.7	917 of 1015	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.5	956 of 1025	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.3	910 of 1009	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.8	970 of 1003	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.3	976 of 996	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	435 of 486	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.9	419 of 480	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	454 of 491	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	421 of 489	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	433 of 490	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	435 of 483	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	415 of 470	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	426 of 473	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	8.2	434 of 472	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	13.9	434 of 494	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.5	384 of 485	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.3	435 of 470	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.2	425 of 444	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	11.5	414 of 447	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	15.3	415 of 451	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	26.8	358 of 428	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	3.8	411 of 423	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies26%-21 vs state

English Language Arts18%

Science17%

Math14%

★

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Schools Near East Chicago Lighthouse

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2026)							ILEARN Math (2026)							ILEARN Science (2026)			ILEARN Social Studies (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Chicago Lighthouse	Public, Charter	K-8	3916 Pulaski	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	East Chicago Lighthouse Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 378-7450	495	30	16.5	99.0%	3 (0.6%)	272 (54.9%)	205 (41.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.8%)	13.9	877^th of 1015 public elementary schools	13.6%		6.6	965^th of 1005 public elementary schools	4.0%	88	13.7	11.9	31.5	13.5	10.6	21.8	17.6	16.0	16.7	11.1	11.5	10.6	16.7	13.7	32.5	5.8	17.4	25.9	$13,814	$6,004	$7,810
George Washington Elementary School	Public	K-6	2400 Cardinal Drive	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	School City of East Chicago	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 391-4169	433	28	15.5	72.3%	2 (0.5%)	239 (55.2%)	180 (41.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	10.6	928^th of 1015 public elementary schools	8.6%		8.1	950^th of 1005 public elementary schools	5.5%	22	14.0	17.7	14.1	6.0			12.7	24.4	41.2	14.1	9.0			21.3	13.7	6.1	9.4	9.4	$14,342	$2,763	$11,580
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-6	3551 Block Avenue	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	School City of East Chicago	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 391-4096	282	26	10.7	75.9%	5 (1.8%)	214 (75.9%)	58 (20.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	5.7	988^th of 1015 public elementary schools	2.7%		11.6	902^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	10.2%	86	7.1	6.7	6.5	5.9			6.6	14.3	10.0	9.7	5.9			10.2	13.3	12.1	12.7	12.9	$16,751	$3,265	$13,486
East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1402 E Chicago Ave	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 392-3650	424	26	16.3	63.7%	3 (0.7%)	159 (37.5%)	251 (59.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	48.7	539^th of 1015 public elementary schools	46.9%		39.8	625^th of 1005 public elementary schools	37.8%	86	34.6	43.2	48.9	35.4	30.0	26.7	36.3	53.9	56.8	26.7	30.4	18.0	11.1	33.0	43.2	32.6	37.8	28.9	$14,854	$6,596	$8,259
Benjamin Harrison Elementary School	Public	K-6	4411 Magoun	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	School City of East Chicago	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 391-4192	400	29	13.6	74.0%	3 (0.8%)	111 (27.8%)	281 (70.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	17.3	842^nd of 1015 public elementary schools	17.0%		13.9	876^th of 1005 public elementary schools	12.8%	34	9.8	18.5	16.7	21.2			16.3	32.8	22.2	14.3	28.9			25.4	24.1	25.0	24.5	16.7	$15,153	$2,569	$12,585
William McKinley Elementary School	Public	K-6	4825 Magoun Ave	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	School City of East Chicago	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 391-4186	509	31	16.6	70.3%	13 (2.6%)	190 (37.3%)	287 (56.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (3.1%)	12.7	892^nd of 1015 public elementary schools	12.1%		8.8	939^th of 1005 public elementary schools	6.6%	47	3.8	25.4	9.6	14.1			12.3	21.5	37.3	20.5	14.1			22.8	18.6	12.5	15.5	16.9	$12,860	$2,308	$10,552
Warren G Harding Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3211 165th St	Hammond	46323	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 989-7351	755	43	17.6	54.4%	107 (14.2%)	235 (31.1%)	370 (49.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.4%)	22.1	808^th of 1015 public elementary schools	20.4%		21.1	804^th of 1005 public elementary schools	20.0%	4	17.8	12.4	35.5	20.8			21.8	22.9	37.1	28.0	20.8			27.0	25.8	21.8	23.7	29.0	$12,652	$2,674	$9,979
Washington Irving Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4727 Pine Ave	Hammond	46327	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 933-2467	754	37	20.1	56.4%	27 (3.6%)	146 (19.4%)	549 (72.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.8%)	12.9	889^th of 1015 public elementary schools	12.4%		8.5	944^th of 1005 public elementary schools	6.1%	55	18.0	18.9	24.8	12.9			18.7	26.5	26.7	15.8	1.1			18.0	14.4	7.5	10.9	25.7	$10,891	$2,142	$8,749
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4221 Towle Ave	Hammond	46327	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 933-2475	565	32	17.7	61.2%	33 (5.8%)	175 (31.0%)	332 (58.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.4%)	7.5	963^rd of 1015 public elementary schools	5.1%		9.3	928^th of 1005 public elementary schools	7.7%	35	5.6	4.8	11.6	15.4			8.6	11.1	17.7	10.1	11.5			12.4	16.1	13.5	14.9	18.8	$11,639	$2,218	$9,421
Nathan Hale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1831 Oliver St	Whiting	46394	Lake County	School City of Whiting	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 659-0738	396	26	15.3	66.7%	60 (15.2%)	10 (2.5%)	315 (79.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	46.1	561^st of 1015 public elementary schools	44.7%		50	515^th of 1005 public elementary schools	48.8%	46	32.8	45.6	50.7				43.2	49.3	35.3	33.8				39.3	30.9		30.9	40.9	$11,411	$1,192	$10,218

Frequently Asked Questions about East Chicago Lighthouse

Is East Chicago Lighthouse a good school?

East Chicago Lighthouse ranks in the bottom 13.6% of Indiana elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of East Chicago Lighthouse?

Students at East Chicago Lighthouse are 55% African American, 41% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend East Chicago Lighthouse?

In the 2024-25 school year, 495 students attended East Chicago Lighthouse.

What district is East Chicago Lighthouse in?

East Chicago Lighthouse Charter

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresNewSep 25, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 5, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataSep 4, 2025

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJul 16, 2025

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.