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Joseph Block Middle School

Public Grades 7-8

432^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 486 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 11% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

Joseph Block Middle School is a grades 7–8 public middle school in East Chicago, Indiana, serving 436 students as part of the School City of East Chicago, a district ranked 348th of 374 Indiana districts (7th percentile, 0 stars). The school itself ranked 432nd of 486 Indiana schools in 2025–26 (11th percentile, 1 star), placing it in the bottom decile statewide. Its ranking history shows this is not new: percentile rank has stayed between 5% and 12% from 2015–16 through 2025–26.

Test scores show a clear split. In 2025–26, all-grades ELA proficiency was 18.05%, above the district's 14.21%, while math was 10.24%, below the district's 17.65%. Against state grade-level figures, 7th-grade ELA was 19.18% versus 41.7%, 8th-grade ELA 16.75% versus 44%, 7th-grade math 11.87% versus 35.9%, and 8th-grade math 8.38% versus 34.2%. Math has improved steadily — from 3.45% in 2022–23 to 10.24% in 2025–26 — but remains far behind. ELA has held fairly stable, between 16.22% and 19.22% since 2022–23.

Chronic absenteeism was 23.1% in 2024–25 — better than the district's 25.8% but worse than the state's 16.7%. It rose from 17.8% the year before, though it remains far below the 53.9% of 2020–21. The school has favorable resources for its area: $14,799 per-pupil spending (third-highest among nearby schools) and a 10.7 student-teacher ratio, the lowest in the comparison group. Yet outcomes lag. River Forest Middle School has slightly higher poverty (73.98% free/reduced lunch vs. 70.64%), spends much less ($9,950), and has larger classes (14.7), but posts higher ELA (26.32%), higher math (14.08%), and lower absenteeism (18.0%). Joseph Block does outperform Gary Middle School and Bailly Middle School, where proficiency is far lower and absenteeism tops 67%. Compared with Wilbur Wright Middle School in Munster, Joseph Block is 52.23 points lower in ELA and 48.11 points lower in math.

436

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,145

Per pupil spending ?

70.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

2700 Cardinal Dr
East Chicago, IN 46312

(219) 391-4084

District: School City of East Chicago

Students who attend Joseph Block Middle School usually attend:

High:

East Chicago Central High School

Feeder schools for Joseph Block Middle School:

Elementary:	Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
	George Washington Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.6%

African American:

41.5%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare Joseph Block Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg16%

432^nd of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

348^th of 374School City of East Chicago 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	13.2	432 of 486	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.3	435 of 480	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	431 of 491	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	447 of 489	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.3	452 of 490	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	456 of 483	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	445 of 470	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	416 of 473	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.9	415 of 472	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.8	460 of 494	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.0	461 of 485	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.7	458 of 470	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.7	438 of 444	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.2	442 of 447	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	3.9	435 of 451	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.4	409 of 428	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	1.0	421 of 423	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.6	384 of 392	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.1	370 of 382	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	6.9	362 of 375	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.5	364 of 370	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts18%

Math10%

★

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Schools Near Joseph Block Middle 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)		ILEARN Social Studies (2026)	ILEARN Biology (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 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 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	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
Joseph Block Middle School	Public	7-8	2700 Cardinal Dr	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	School City of East Chicago	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 391-4084	436	41	10.7	70.6%	5 (1.1%)	181 (41.5%)	238 (54.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.8%)	13.2	432^nd of 486 public middle schools	11.1%		10.3	435^th of 480 public middle schools	9.4%	3			19.2	16.8	18.1			11.9	8.4	10.2					$16,145	$2,945	$13,200
Charles N Scott Middle School	Public	7-8	3635 173rd St	Hammond	46323	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 989-7340	663	36	18.6	54.1%	88 (13.3%)	291 (43.9%)	249 (37.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.0%)	14.7	420^th of 486 public middle schools	13.6%		10.2	437^th of 480 public middle schools	9.0%	17			22.9	22.7	22.8			5.3	7.7	6.6				52.2	$9,593	$1,690	$7,903
Whiting Middle School	Public	6-8	1800 New York Ave	Whiting	46394	Lake County	School City of Whiting	No	No	No	No	(219) 473-1344	250	14	17.4	65.6%	30 (12.0%)	7 (2.8%)	210 (84.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	55.7	202^nd of 486 public middle schools	58.4%		53.3	220^th of 480 public middle schools	54.2%	18		40.0	40.0	60.8	47.0		32.9	23.5	29.1	28.2	38.6	38.6			$12,760	$785	$11,975
Henry W Eggers Middle School	Public	7-8	5825 Blaine Ave	Hammond	46320	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 933-2449	693	45	15.5	58.4%	33 (4.8%)	272 (39.2%)	347 (50.1%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.2%)	5.6	475^th of 486 public middle schools	2.3%		8.9	448^th of 480 public middle schools	6.7%	27			8.6	8.3	8.5			3.4	3.0	3.2				58.3	$9,790	$1,614	$8,176
Highland Middle School	Public	6-8	2941 41st St	Highland	46322	Lake County	School Town of Highland	No	No	No	No	(219) 922-5620	774	37	20.9	46.1%	373 (48.2%)	84 (10.9%)	288 (37.2%)	14 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.8%)	77	93^rd of 486 public middle schools	80.9%		75	109^th of 480 public middle schools	77.3%	16		49.4	58.7	55.8	54.6		52.3	34.7	37.7	41.4	50.6	50.6			$9,216	$94	$9,122
Wilbur Wright Middle School	Public	6-8	8650 Columbia Ave	Munster	46321	Lake County	School Town of Munster	No	No	No	No	(219) 836-6260	990	52	19.1	26.1%	509 (51.4%)	85 (8.6%)	266 (26.9%)	78 (7.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (4.9%)	94.4	17^th of 486 public middle schools	96.5%		92.6	22^nd of 480 public middle schools	95.4%	5		67.7	70.8	72.1	70.3		65.8	54.7	55.5	58.4	58.9	58.9		96.8	$12,049	$249	$11,800
Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School	Public	5-8	3601 W 41st Ave	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-0730	447	27	16.8	97.5%	125 (28.0%)	175 (39.1%)	122 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.1%)	13.2	433^rd of 486 public middle schools	10.9%		9.5	443^rd of 480 public middle schools	7.7%	10	10.0	20.5	10.7	26.0	17.1	7.8	10.9	5.9	5.8	7.7	17.1	17.1	8.9		$15,641	$2,394	$13,247
Bailly Middle School	Public	6-8	4621 Georgia St	Gary	46409	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-6326	355	28	12.7	60.0%	7 (2.0%)	292 (82.3%)	34 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.6%)	4.9	478^th of 486 public middle schools	1.6%		9.2	446^th of 480 public middle schools	7.1%	32		8.6	6.1	5.6	6.8		2.1	0.9	4.0	2.4	5.7	5.7		0.0	$16,024	$3,243	$12,781
Merrillville Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1400 W 61st Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5306	788	61	13.0	54.4%	66 (8.4%)	494 (62.7%)	167 (21.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (7.4%)								(n/a)	30.7	33.9			32.3	35.7	31.7			33.7	30.2	30.2	36.2		$11,547	$960	$10,586
River Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	3300 Indiana St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	River Forest Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 962-7551	369	25	14.7	74.0%	117 (31.7%)	64 (17.3%)	157 (42.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (7.3%)	20.7	385^th of 486 public middle schools	20.8%		21.1	375^th of 480 public middle schools	21.9%	10		18.7	29.1	30.5	26.3		14.0	20.5	7.7	14.1	10.3	10.3			$10,414	$558	$9,856

Frequently Asked Questions about Joseph Block Middle School

Is Joseph Block Middle School a good school?

Joseph Block Middle School ranks in the bottom 11.1% of Indiana middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Joseph Block Middle School attend?

Students who attend Joseph Block Middle School usually go on to attend East Chicago Central High School

What is the racial makeup of Joseph Block Middle School?

Students at Joseph Block Middle School are 55% Hispanic, 42% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

How many students attend Joseph Block Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Joseph Block Middle School.

What district is Joseph Block Middle School in?

School City of East Chicago

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 28, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 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.