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Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

Public, Charter Grades K-8

948^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Higher Institute of Arts & Technical is a public charter elementary school serving 227 students in grades K-8 in Merrillville, Indiana. The school is part of the Higher Institute of Arts & Technical District, which is ranked 358 out of 380 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Higher Institute of Arts & Technical faces significant challenges, with consistently high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 17.8% to 35% over the past few years, compared to around 17.8% at nearby schools. The school's academic performance, as measured by ILEARN test scores, is extremely low, with only 14.38% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and just 9.38% proficient in math, compared to state averages around 40% and 45%, respectively. The school also has a very high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 78.41% to 82.67%, significantly higher than the 44.25% to 76.31% range at nearby schools.

Despite spending significantly more per student, ranging from $9,935 to $15,371 over the past few years, compared to $10,076 to $12,671 at nearby schools, Higher Institute of Arts & Technical has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Indiana elementary schools. This suggests the school may be facing challenges in effectively allocating its resources to support student learning and engagement, which could be contributing to the high chronic absenteeism rates and low academic performance.

259

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,371

Per pupil spending ?

79.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5861 Harrison Street
Merrillville, IN 46410

(219) 359-1522

District: Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.3%

Hispanic:

6.2%

Two or more races:

5.4%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Higher Institute of Arts & Technical to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2019 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (11% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 17% Indiana)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg11%

Indiana avg38%

Elementary school

948^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▬ steady since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

454^th of 480

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▲ up 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

358^th of 380Higher Institute of Arts & Technical 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
2025	8.3	948 of 1005	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	937 of 1011	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1003 of 1016	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.4	961 of 1020	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.5	931 of 1016	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.7	974 of 1031	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	8.3	454 of 480	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	426 of 491	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.3	481 of 489	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.3	461 of 490	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	404 of 483	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.3	455 of 470	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts14%

Math9%

Science8%

Social Studies5%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)							ILEARN Math (2025)							ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (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	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
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	259	18	14.3	79.5%	8 (3.1%)	221 (85.3%)	16 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	8.3	948^th of 1005 public elementary schools	5.7%		9.6	937^th of 1011 public elementary schools	7.3%	11	21.1	10.7	27.3	9.1	8.8	16.7	14.4	15.8	10.7	9.1	6.1	8.8	8.3	9.4	3.7	12.5	8.5	4.6	$15,371	$4,858	$10,514
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	466	31	14.9	62.4%	30 (6.4%)	308 (66.1%)	100 (21.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.8%)	45.7	564^th of 1005 public elementary schools	43.9%		35.1	674^th of 1011 public elementary schools	33.3%	110	20.2	53.3					36.9	32.6	45.6					39.1	46.2		46.2		$11,723	$1,847	$9,876
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	566	37	15.2	58.0%	6 (1.1%)	470 (83.0%)	65 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.2%)	4.5	995^th of 1005 public elementary schools	1.0%		4	1009^th of 1011 public elementary schools	0.2%	14	5.7	6.4	9.6				7.2	13.3	6.4	7.7				9.1	7.4		7.4	2.9	$17,768	$5,663	$12,104
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	330	26	12.4	61.2%	22 (6.7%)	244 (73.9%)	45 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.8%)	26.9	756^th of 1005 public elementary schools	24.8%		26.7	752^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	25.6%	4	19.0	34.8					26.0	22.4	37.0					28.9	37.0		37.0		$12,671	$2,389	$10,282
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	535	36	14.6	44.3%	59 (11.0%)	339 (63.4%)	97 (18.1%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.0%)	15.6	854^th of 1005 public elementary schools	15.0%		18.5	830^th of 1011 public elementary schools	17.9%	24	13.2	21.6					17.8	33.7	26.4					29.7	18.0		18.0		$12,269	$2,089	$10,180
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	565	43	13.0	52.4%	65 (11.5%)	325 (57.5%)	130 (23.0%)	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.4%)	52.1	483^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	51.9%		50.2	523^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	48.3%	40	44.9	39.7					42.3	45.7	48.0					46.8	37.6		37.6		$10,755	$1,055	$9,700
Henry S Evans Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2915 E 35th Ave	Lake Station	46405	Lake County	River Forest Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 962-1608	400	23	17.7	82.3%	151 (37.8%)	51 (12.8%)	163 (40.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.3%)	19	829^th of 1005 public elementary schools	17.5%		23.5	777^th of 1011 public elementary schools	23.1%	52	13.7	22.6	33.3				23.0	29.4	20.8	29.2				26.3	15.1		15.1	14.6	$10,180	$1,174	$9,006
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	483	25	19.3	97.1%	153 (31.7%)	154 (31.9%)	146 (30.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.8%)	5.1	989^th of 1005 public elementary schools	1.6%		6.4	982^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	2.9%	7	9.5	9.3					9.4	12.1	12.8					12.4	10.5		10.5		$14,198	$3,558	$10,640
Early Learning Center-George Earle	Public	PK-K	400 N Wilson St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	School City of Hobart	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 942-7263	264	14	18.8	41.7%	137 (51.9%)	19 (7.2%)	82 (31.1%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.7%)								(n/a)																			$10,852	$1,125	$9,727
Elsie Wadsworth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	600 N Jay St	Griffith	46319	Lake County	Griffith Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 923-4488	477	39	12.2	55.1%	167 (35.0%)	111 (23.3%)	168 (35.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.7%)								(n/a)																			$15,582	$1,461	$14,121

Frequently Asked Questions about Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

What is the racial makeup of Higher Institute of Arts & Technical?

Students at Higher Institute of Arts & Technical are 85% African American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% White.

Is Higher Institute of Arts & Technical a good school?

Higher Institute of Arts & Technical ranks in the bottom 5.7% of Indiana elementary schools.

How many students attend Higher Institute of Arts & Technical?

In the 2024-25 school year, 259 students attended Higher Institute of Arts & Technical.

What district is Higher Institute of Arts & Technical in?

Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

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Schools in Merrillville, IN

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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.