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Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

Public, Charter Grades K-8

981^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,015 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Higher Institute of Arts & Technical is a small K–8 school at 5861 Harrison Street in Merrillville, IN, serving 259 students as its own one-school district, the Higher Institute of Arts & Technical district.

By state measures, this school sits at the very bottom. It ranks 981 of 1,015 Indiana schools in 2025–2026 (3rd percentile, 0 stars), and its district ranks 366 of 374 (2nd percentile, 0 stars). This is not a one-year dip: from 2018–2019 through 2025–2026 the school never rose above the 8th percentile and earned 0 stars every year. In 2025–2026 ILEARN results, all-grade proficiency was 11.4% in ELA, 4.8% in math, and 10.9% in science. Math is the sharpest weakness—the lowest among nearby schools with reported data, below Glen Park Academy for Excel in Learning (7.3%) and Longfellow New Technical Elementary School (11.9%). Grade-level math is especially low: 3.7% in 5th grade, 3.7% in 6th grade, and 0% in 7th grade. Chronic absenteeism is 32.5%, nearly double Indiana's 16.7% rate, and about 79.5% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Per-student spending is $15,371, and the student–teacher ratio is 14.3.

The contrast with nearby schools is striking. Henry P Fieler Elementary School is just 0.4 miles away yet ranks 69th percentile with 3 stars, with 47.7% ELA, 57.0% math, and 51.4% science proficiency. Veterans Elementary School at Mundell (63rd percentile) has 7.3% chronic absenteeism against Higher's 32.5%. Higher spends more per student than Fieler and Veterans yet posts proficiency rates several times lower, suggesting that instruction, attendance, and student supports matter more than raw spending. Its strongest results—4th-grade ELA at 21.05% and 4th-grade math at 10.53%—still fall well below state rates, and science has slowly improved from 4% in 2022–2023 to 10.87% in 2025–2026. The clearest priorities are math instruction, middle grades, and reducing absenteeism.

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%

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

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2019 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (8% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school8%

District avg8%

Indiana avg47%

Elementary school

981^st of 1,015

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

465^th of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▲ up 1 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

366^th of 374Higher 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
2026	6.1	981 of 1015	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	6.8	465 of 486	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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 (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts11%

Science11%

Social Studies7%-40 vs state

Math5%

★

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Schools Near Higher Institute of Arts & Technical

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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
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%)	6.1	981^st of 1015 public elementary schools	3.3%		8.3	948^th of 1005 public elementary schools	5.7%	33	10.3	21.1	7.4	11.1	9.1	12.5	11.4	6.9	10.5	3.7	3.7	0.0	6.3	4.8	10.5	11.1	10.9	7.4	$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%)	67.5	315^th of 1015 public elementary schools	69.0%		45.7	564^th of 1005 public elementary schools	43.9%	249	40.7	55.7					47.7	58.0	55.7					57.0	51.4		51.4		$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%)	4.4	1004^th of 1015 public elementary schools	1.1%		4.5	995^th of 1005 public elementary schools	1.0%	9	5.8	7.9	10.1				7.7	9.3	4.0	7.5				7.3	9.5		9.5	6.8	$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%)	26.1	762^nd of 1015 public elementary schools	24.9%		26.9	756^th of 1005 public elementary schools	24.8%	6	35.8	30.6					33.6	29.9	22.5					26.7	26.5		26.5		$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%)	14.5	876^th of 1015 public elementary schools	13.7%		15.6	854^th of 1005 public elementary schools	15.0%	22	22.3	17.5					20.0	30.1	24.7					27.5	16.5		16.5		$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%)	40.9	611^th of 1015 public elementary schools	39.8%		52.1	483^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	51.9%	128	37.6	33.0					35.3	40.2	47.0					43.5	34.8		34.8		$10,755	$1,055	$9,700
Henry S Evans Elementary School	Public	K-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%)	17	847^th of 1015 public elementary schools	16.6%		19	829^th of 1005 public elementary schools	17.5%	18	22.4	15.4	34.0				23.8	24.1	34.6	14.0				24.4	17.3		17.3	14.0	$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%)	5.4	992^nd of 1015 public elementary schools	2.3%		5.1	989^th of 1005 public elementary schools	1.6%	3	4.0	14.6					9.4	12.1	11.8					11.9	12.8		12.8		$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-5	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

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

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 3.3% of Indiana elementary schools.

Rate Higher Institute of Arts & Technical!

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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.