Gary Virtual Academy

Gary Virtual Academy is a K–12 alternative school serving 45 students at 1800 E 35th Ave in Gary, Indiana, operated by Gary Community School Corp — the smallest school in this comparison group and part of a district ranked 365th of 374 Indiana districts (2nd percentile, 0 stars). With only 45 students spread across grades K–12, a single graduating class may number in the single digits, so percentages can swing dramatically from year to year on very small counts.

On recent measures, the school graduates 33.3% of students (2024–25), compared with 57.1% for its district and 89.7% statewide. Every nearby school reporting a rate scores higher, and the lowest of those — Thea Bowman Leadership Academy at 71.4% — is more than double this school's rate. Chronic absenteeism stands at 59.3%: somewhat better than the district's 63.6%, but about 3.6 times the state rate of 16.7%, while Steel City Academy (16.4%) and 21st Century Charter School of Gary (25.8%) keep absenteeism far lower in the same city. In 2025–26, the school reported 0% proficiency in every school-level test shown, including ILEARN ELA and Math across all grades plus SAT reading/writing and SAT Math in 11th grade. These are exact reported values, not suppressed figures, and they fall below the district's already-low rates of 8.46% in ELA and 7.56% in Math.

The closest peer by model, Northwest Indiana Online School, posts a 94.8% graduation rate, 37.6% absenteeism, and higher proficiency in ELA and Math while spending less per student ($8,966 vs. $11,053), which suggests the virtual format itself is not the barrier. Spending does not appear to be the main constraint either. Year-to-year numbers swing sharply — 4.6% absenteeism one year, 64.4% the next — a small-school signature that makes any single year's figures directional at best. Attendance is the clearest lever: it links tightly to both graduation and proficiency, and for a virtual school it depends on students logging in on their own.