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West Side Leadership Academy

Public Grades 9-12

347^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 415 Indiana High Schools

Better than 16% of Indiana high schools

Summary

West Side Leadership Academy is a public high school in Gary, Indiana, an urban community in the northwest corner of the state, serving about 1,232 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Gary Community School Corp.

West Side ranked 347th of 415 Indiana high schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 16th percentile with 1 star — its best showing in the available history and up from the 5th–7th percentile range in 2020–21 through 2022–23. That rank is above several nearby comprehensive high schools, including East Chicago Central High School (11th percentile), Hammond Central High School (7th), Calumet New Technical High School (13th) and Morton Senior High School (9th), but well below Highland High School (50th). Two measures stand out as urgent challenges. The graduation rate was 58.6% in 2024–25, versus Indiana's 89.7% and lower than every nearby comprehensive school. Chronic absenteeism was 75.3%, more than four times the state rate of 16.7% and far above Highland's 15.3%.

Academically, there are real signs of progress from a low base. SAT Math proficiency was 15.32% in 2025–26 — higher than East Chicago Central (4.56%), Hammond Central (2.02%), Calumet (4.38%) and Morton (2.94%), though below Highland (23.79%) and the state's 25.6%. Reading/writing proficiency was 18.02%, compared with the state's 51.9%, and Biology proficiency was 11.18%. West Side spends $21,037 per student, more than any nearby school, including Highland at $11,753. Student group results also improved: the African American subgroup reached the 54th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–26, and low-income students rose to the 27th percentile, while special education students remain at the 14th percentile. Attendance and graduation remain the biggest concerns.

1,232

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,037

Per pupil spending ?

62.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9th & Gerry St
Gary, IN 46406

(219) 413-9870

District: Gary Community School Corp

Feeder schools for West Side Leadership Academy:

Elementary:	Banneker Elementary at Marquette
	Beveridge Elementary School
	Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School
	Frankie Woods McCullough Academy
	More...
	Glen Park Academy for Excel in Learning
	Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Center
Middle:	Bailly Middle School
	Gary Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.4%

Hispanic:

6.3%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Indiana high schools

Compare West Side Leadership Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (15% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Indiana average (59% vs 90%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg14%

Indiana avg39%

347^th of 415

Indiana public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

365^th of 374Gary Community School Corp 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	17.4	347 of 415	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	380 of 429	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	406 of 432	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	379 of 398	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	379 of 409	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	365 of 388	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.6	356 of 389	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	343 of 385	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.1	324 of 380	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.0	349 of 394	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	4.0	386 of 400	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.8	362 of 379	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.4	352 of 353	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.8	368 of 373	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.4	362 of 364	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.8	352 of 362	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.0	346 of 364	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.1	345 of 360	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	1.4	343 of 354	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.5	331 of 349	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	3.1	337 of 349	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	43.6	61 of 133	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.5	80 of 132	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.5	117 of 132	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	103 of 125	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	99 of 125	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	16.7	332 of 395	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.9	362 of 387	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	381 of 392	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	372 of 388	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	121 of 181	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.6	157 of 184	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	284 of 390	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.7	322 of 377	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	366 of 377	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	356 of 379	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	340 of 397	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.0	351 of 386	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	378 of 392	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	370 of 383	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	22.0	88 of 112	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	104 of 104	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	88 of 94	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	251 of 292	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	268 of 298	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	286 of 289	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	271 of 285	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)54th percentile+38 vs school

Hispanic (2025)33rd percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile+11 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)21st percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile~ school

Male (2026)14th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile~ school

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-based Reading and Writing18%-34 vs state

Mathematics15%-10 vs state

Biology11%

★

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Schools Near West Side Leadership Academy

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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)				SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	ILEARN English Language Arts (2026)			ILEARN Math (2026)			ILEARN Science (2026)		ILEARN Biology (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	SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Side Leadership Academy	Public	9-12	9th & Gerry St	Gary	46406	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 413-9870	1,232	69	17.9	62.6%	7 (0.6%)	1,102 (89.4%)	78 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.7%)	17.4	347^th of 415 public high schools	16.4%		12.3	380^th of 429 public high schools	11.4%	33	18.0	15.3									11.2	$21,037	$6,127	$14,910
Morton Senior High School	Public	9-12	6915 Grand Ave	Hammond	46323	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 989-7316	1,446	77	18.9	49.0%	122 (8.4%)	669 (46.3%)	570 (39.4%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	78 (5.4%)	10.2	379^th of 415 public high schools	8.7%		8.9	396^th of 429 public high schools	7.7%	17	27.6	2.9									6.8	$11,910	$1,620	$10,290
Excel Center - Hammond	Public, Charter	9-12	3438 169th Street	Hammond	46323	Lake County	Excel Center - Hammond	Yes	No	No	No	(219) 844-1911	205	6	34.1	7.8%	25 (12.2%)	70 (34.1%)	107 (52.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)								(n/a)												$4,789	$93	$4,696
Excel Center - Gary	Public, Charter	9-12	4610 W Ridge Road	Gary	46408	Lake County	Excel Center - Gary	Yes	No	No	No	(219) 789-5236	125	8	15.6	3.2%	13 (10.4%)	84 (67.2%)	20 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.6%)								(n/a)												$6,052	$594	$5,458
Calumet New Technical High School	Public	9-12	3900 Calhoun St	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 838-6990	620	42	14.9	90.6%	136 (21.9%)	309 (49.8%)	142 (22.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.7%)	12.4	363^rd of 415 public high schools	12.5%		11.2	383^rd of 429 public high schools	10.7%	20	28.5	4.4									14.4	$14,358	$1,857	$12,500
Gary Middle College	Public, Charter	9-12	131 East 5th Ave	Gary	46402	Lake County	Gary Middle College	Yes	No	No	Yes	(219) 888-7120	202	10	14.9	26.2%	5 (2.5%)	175 (86.6%)	16 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	7	401^st of 415 public high schools	3.4%		4.9	414^th of 429 public high schools	3.5%	13	9.4	3.1										$11,562	$2,542	$9,020
Highland High School	Public	9-12	9135 Erie St	Highland	46322	Lake County	School Town of Highland	No	No	No	No	(219) 922-5610	971	53	18.3	37.6%	476 (49.0%)	116 (11.9%)	328 (33.8%)	19 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.2%)	47.5	209^th of 415 public high schools	49.6%		57.9	155^th of 429 public high schools	63.9%	54	50.4	23.8									29.7	$11,753	$482	$11,271
Highland Online Public Education (HOPE)	Public	6-12	9145 Kennedy Avenue	Highland	46322	Lake County	School Town of Highland	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(219) 922-7400	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
East Chicago Central High School	Public	9-12	1100 W Columbus Drive	East Chicago	46312	Lake County	School City of East Chicago	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 391-4000	1,052	79	13.2	72.3%	7 (0.7%)	446 (42.4%)	576 (54.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (1.9%)	11.5	368^th of 415 public high schools	11.3%		16.5	359^th of 429 public high schools	16.3%	9	18.3	4.6									21.8	$15,291	$2,398	$12,893
Hammond Central High School	Public	9-12	5926 Calumet Ave	Hammond	46320	Lake County	School City of Hammond	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 933-2442	1,814	86	21.1	52.3%	104 (5.7%)	668 (36.8%)	972 (53.6%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (3.5%)	9	385^th of 415 public high schools	7.2%		9.3	392^nd of 429 public high schools	8.6%	7	24.0	2.0									10.1	$10,821	$1,729	$9,092

Frequently Asked Questions about West Side Leadership Academy

What schools feed into West Side Leadership Academy?

West Side Leadership Academy is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Banneker Elementary at Marquette
Elementary : Beveridge Elementary School
Elementary : Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School
Elementary : Frankie Woods McCullough Academy
Elementary : Glen Park Academy for Excel in Learning
Elementary : Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Center
Middle : Bailly Middle School
Middle : Gary Middle School

What district is West Side Leadership Academy in?

Gary Community School Corp

How many students attend West Side Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,232 students attended West Side Leadership Academy.

Is West Side Leadership Academy a good school?

West Side Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 16.4% of Indiana high schools.

What is the racial makeup of West Side Leadership Academy?

Students at West Side Leadership Academy are 89% African American, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

Rate West Side Leadership Academy!

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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.