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Paul Harding Junior High School

Public Grades 7-8

387^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 486 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 20% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

Paul Harding Junior High School is a grades 7–8 school at 6501 Wayne Trace in Fort Wayne, Indiana, serving 422 students as part of East Allen County Schools. Its district sits mid-pack statewide, but Harding does not: it ranks 387th of 486 Indiana middle schools (20th percentile, 1 star) in 2025–26 and has never earned more than 1 star in ten reported years. Poverty is very concentrated here — 82.23% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch in 2024–25, the highest of any nearby school compared — and in 2025–26, 23.6% of students were proficient in ELA and 14.56% in math. One structural note for parents: Harding serves only grades 7–8, while nearly every Fort Wayne Community Schools middle school serves grades 6–8, so grade-level numbers are the fairest way to compare.

Math is the sharper weakness. Harding trails its own district by about 20 points in math and 12 in ELA, and sits roughly 18–23 points below the state on every tested measure. Similar-poverty schools show a range: Portage Middle School (80.53% low-income) posts 27.73% math proficiency and Lakeside Middle School edges Harding in ELA, while Kekionga Middle School and Miami Middle School do worse in ELA. Lane Middle School outperforms Harding in both subjects while spending less per student ($11,441 vs. $12,306). Resources don't appear to be the constraint — Harding's $12,306 per student and 12.4-to-1 student-teacher ratio are competitive with or better than most local peers.

The most encouraging signs are recent. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 29.6% to 25.5%, and math proficiency rose from 10.21% to 14.56% year over year; the incoming seventh grade also outperformed the outgoing eighth grade in both subjects. The clearest warning is Memorial Park Middle School, which has similar spending and high poverty (61.08%) yet posts 50.26% ELA and 39.65% math with 10% chronic absenteeism.

422

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,697

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

6501 Wayne Trace
Fort Wayne, IN 46816

(260) 446-0240

District: East Allen County Schools

Students who attend Paul Harding Junior High School usually attend:

High:

New Haven Junior/Senior High School

Feeder schools for Paul Harding Junior High School:

Elementary:	Prince Chapman Academy
	Southwick Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

49.8%

African American:

23.2%

Hispanic:

18.2%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare Paul Harding Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 26th percentile in 2024 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 15% Indiana)

!Ranking has slipped from its 26th-percentile peak (2024) to 20th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg35%

387^th of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 10% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

204^th of 374East Allen County Schools 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	387 of 486	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	403 of 480	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.9	362 of 491	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	368 of 489	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	395 of 490	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	380 of 483	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.6	398 of 470	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	392 of 473	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.3	441 of 472	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.8	445 of 494	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.8	425 of 485	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	11.0	433 of 470	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts24%

Math15%

5.0

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by a citizen
Sunday, May 17, 2020

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Schools Near Paul Harding Junior High School

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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)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paul Harding Junior High School	Public	7-8	6501 Wayne Trace	Fort Wayne	46816	Allen County	East Allen County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 446-0240	422	34	12.4	82.2%	24 (5.7%)	98 (23.2%)	77 (18.2%)	210 (49.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.1%)	20.4	387^th of 486 public middle schools	20.4%		16.1	403^rd of 480 public middle schools	16.0%	16		24.0	23.2	23.6		17.9	11.4	14.6			$12,697	$1,375	$11,323
Timothy L. Johnson Academy Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	4625 Werling Drive	Fort Wayne	46806	Allen County	Timothy L. Johnson Academy Middle	Yes	No	No	Yes	(260) 441-8727	150	12	12.5	78.0%	2 (1.3%)	32 (21.3%)	11 (7.3%)	103 (68.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	8.8	452^nd of 486 public middle schools	7.0%		5.8	468^th of 480 public middle schools	2.5%	16	18.3	9.3	12.5	13.6	10.0	1.9	0.0	4.3	15.0	15.0	$18,772	$1,924	$16,847
Indiana Agriculture & Technology School - Fort Wayne	Public, Charter	7-9	7910 S. Anthony Blvd.	Fort Wayne	46816	Allen County	Indiana Agriculture & Technology School - Fort Wayne	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(317) 953-1305	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)											$00
Memorial Park Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	2200 Maumee Ave	Fort Wayne	46803	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(260) 467-5300	627	47	13.2	61.1%	239 (38.1%)	184 (29.3%)	133 (21.2%)	19 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.0%)	70.3	138^th of 486 public middle schools	71.6%		63.5	163^rd of 480 public middle schools	66.0%	25	49.8	44.6	56.4	50.3	49.5	34.1	34.6	39.7	42.4	42.4	$12,921	$855	$12,065
Lakeside Middle School	Public	6-8	2100 Lake Ave	Fort Wayne	46805	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 467-8625	452	37	12.3	77.7%	136 (30.1%)	129 (28.5%)	107 (23.7%)	21 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (12.8%)	23	377^th of 486 public middle schools	22.4%		18	392^nd of 480 public middle schools	18.3%	15	21.9	29.9	26.4	26.1	21.7	14.8	11.6	16.2	21.7	21.7	$15,089	$663	$14,426
Miami Middle School	Public	6-8	8100 Amherst Dr	Fort Wayne	46819	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 467-8560	496	39	12.7	73.0%	92 (18.5%)	182 (36.7%)	99 (20.0%)	92 (18.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.3%)	14	425^th of 486 public middle schools	12.6%		10.7	433^rd of 480 public middle schools	9.8%	8	18.7	10.8	19.7	16.6	14.3	12.4	15.1	14.0	12.4	12.4	$13,881	$876	$13,005
Kekionga Middle School	Public	6-8	2929 Engle Rd	Fort Wayne	46809	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 467-6600	527	36	14.5	75.3%	102 (19.4%)	137 (26.0%)	205 (38.9%)	38 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.5%)	13.7	426^th of 486 public middle schools	12.3%		10.1	438^th of 480 public middle schools	8.8%	12	16.7	17.0	24.5	19.2	16.4	6.3	6.8	10.0	16.8	16.8	$12,102	$735	$11,367
Lane Middle School	Public	6-8	4901 Vance Ave	Fort Wayne	46815	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(260) 467-4400	644	51	12.5	72.4%	135 (21.0%)	199 (30.9%)	176 (27.3%)	71 (11.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.5%)	24.7	362^nd of 486 public middle schools	25.5%		23.8	364^th of 480 public middle schools	24.2%	2	21.0	27.5	25.4	24.6	21.0	27.5	12.4	20.1	19.6	19.6	$12,520	$1,196	$11,324
Blackhawk Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	7200 E State Blvd	Fort Wayne	46815	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(260) 467-4885	814	50	16.2	49.3%	378 (46.4%)	185 (22.7%)	118 (14.5%)	51 (6.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (9.8%)	53.2	216^th of 486 public middle schools	55.6%		64.8	157^th of 480 public middle schools	67.3%	59	37.0	36.6	42.4	38.6	32.8	31.6	39.0	34.5	33.3	33.3	$11,682	$859	$10,822
Portage Middle School	Public	6-8	3521 Taylor St	Fort Wayne	46802	Allen County	Fort Wayne Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 467-4500	380	36	10.5	80.5%	111 (29.2%)	95 (25.0%)	125 (32.9%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.3%)	31.9	339^th of 486 public middle schools	30.2%		27.3	352^nd of 480 public middle schools	26.7%	13	20.9	28.1	28.7	25.6	25.2	36.0	23.0	27.7	21.0	21.0	$15,631	$770	$14,861

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Harding Junior High School

Is Paul Harding Junior High School a good school?

Paul Harding Junior High School ranks in the bottom 20.4% of Indiana middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Paul Harding Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Paul Harding Junior High School usually go on to attend New Haven Junior/Senior High School

How many students attend Paul Harding Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 422 students attended Paul Harding Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Paul Harding Junior High School?

Students at Paul Harding Junior High School are 50% Asian, 23% African American, 18% Hispanic, 6% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Paul Harding Junior High School in?

East Allen County Schools

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 28, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 28, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2023–24 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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.