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Barker Middle School

Q: Is Barker Middle School a good school?

Barker Middle School ranks 337 th of 486 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

337^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 486 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 31% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

Barker Middle School is a public middle school at 319 E Barker Rd in Michigan City, IN, serving grades 7–8 with 390 students as part of Michigan City Area Schools, a district ranked 277 of 374 in Indiana (26th percentile, 1 star). Barker's own 2025–26 rank is 337 of 486 Indiana middle schools (31st percentile, 2 stars), an improvement from 1 star in 2024–25 but still in the bottom third of the state.

Within its district, Barker is the stronger of the two middle schools, outperforming Martin T Krueger Middle School in English (32.07% vs 21.07% proficient) and math (18.53% vs 12.96%). But both sit well below nearby schools. On 2025–26 ILEARN, Barker's all-grades proficiency was 32.07% in ELA and 18.53% in math, below the state in every tested grade-level subject; 8th grade math was 14.29%, nearly 20 points under the state's 34.2%. Math is the clearest weakness — Barker's ELA is above the district average (32.07% vs 27.6%), while math is far below it (18.53% vs 30.87%). For contrast, New Prairie Middle School reached 44.56% in math and Thomas Jefferson Middle School 50.08%.

Barker serves a high-need population: 69.23% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024–25, and it spends $16,701 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 11.6 — more spending and smaller classes than most neighbors, yet lower results. New Prairie, for example, spends $9,982 with 40.93% free/reduced lunch and still more than doubles Barker's math proficiency. Chronic absenteeism at 22.1% is higher than every nearby school with reported data, though it beats the district's 28.9% and the state's 16.7% is lower. There is modest momentum: the rank rose to 2 stars, ELA climbed from 26.82% to 32.07%, math from 15.45% to 18.53%, and absenteeism fell from 25.6% to 22.1%. The gap remains large.

390

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,701

Per pupil spending ?

69.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

319 E Barker Rd
Michigan City, IN 46360

(219) 873-2057

District: Michigan City Area Schools

Students who attend Barker Middle School usually attend:

High:

Michigan City High School

Feeder schools for Barker Middle School:

Elementary:	Coolspring Elementary School
	Edgewood Elementary School
	Knapp Elementary School
	Pine Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.5%

African American:

33.8%

Hispanic:

14.1%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare Barker Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg29%

337^th of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Michigan City Area Schools

277^th of 374Michigan City Area 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	32.1	337 of 486	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.8	358 of 480	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.2	323 of 491	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.4	369 of 489	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	366 of 490	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.4	348 of 483	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	284 of 470	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.5	369 of 473	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.8	381 of 472	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.8	378 of 494	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.8	393 of 485	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	42.6	333 of 470	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.7	298 of 444	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.8	261 of 447	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.5	266 of 451	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.0	224 of 428	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.3	274 of 423	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.7	191 of 392	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	40.2	289 of 382	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.3	322 of 375	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	36.3	292 of 370	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts32%

Math19%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, November 23, 2009

This ranking is quite unfair. Barker Middle School is a safe environment with a rigorous curriculum. My daughter, who is a good student, is quite often challenged. There is also a good community of support around the school. Close Quote

Schools Near Barker 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 (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/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
Barker Middle School	Public	7-8	319 E Barker Rd	Michigan City	46360	LaPorte County	Michigan City Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 873-2057	390	34	11.6	69.2%	158 (40.5%)	132 (33.8%)	55 (14.1%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	40 (10.3%)	32.1	337^th of 486 public middle schools	30.7%		25.8	358^th of 480 public middle schools	25.4%	21			31.9	32.2	32.1			22.7	14.3	18.5					$16,701	$2,745	$13,956
Martin T Krueger Middle School	Public	7-8	2001 Springland Ave	Michigan City	46360	LaPorte County	Michigan City Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 873-2061	324	30	10.9	77.2%	124 (38.3%)	116 (35.8%)	43 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (12.7%)	17.2	402^nd of 486 public middle schools	17.3%		19.1	383^rd of 480 public middle schools	20.2%	19			22.5	19.6	21.1			15.7	10.1	13.0				86.7	$17,634	$2,716	$14,918
Liberty Middle School	Public	7-8	651 W Morgan Ave	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(219) 983-3776	423	29	14.5	23.6%	319 (75.4%)	5 (1.2%)	70 (16.5%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.7%)	97	6^th of 486 public middle schools	98.8%		97.2	6^th of 480 public middle schools	98.8%				68.8	74.2	71.4			72.9	55.9	64.5				87.6	$12,366	$132	$12,234
Westchester Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1050 S 5th St	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 983-3710	404	31	13.0	30.4%	305 (75.5%)	17 (4.2%)	61 (15.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)								(n/a)	60.9	72.5			66.3	75.1	72.5			73.9	62.2	62.2	66.7		$13,308	$491	$12,817
Westchester Middle School	Public	7-8	1050 S. 5th St.	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(708) 450-2735	448	26	17.0	33.5%	336 (75.0%)	14 (3.1%)	62 (13.8%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	26 (5.8%)	96	10^th of 486 public middle schools	97.9%					(n/a)			72.8	69.2	71.0			60.4	56.6	58.5				90.9
LaPorte Middle School	Public	7-8	306 E 18th Street	La Porte	46350	LaPorte County	La Porte Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 324-1370	862	60	14.4	43.7%	629 (73.0%)	19 (2.2%)	142 (16.5%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (7.1%)	64.2	164^th of 486 public middle schools	66.3%		65	154^th of 480 public middle schools	67.9%	10			31.9	48.9	40.6			41.7	39.2	40.4					$10,191	$466	$9,725
Kesling Intermediate School	Public	5-6	306 E 18th St	La Porte	46350	LaPorte County	La Porte Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 362-7507	847	63	13.3	49.5%	604 (71.3%)	20 (2.4%)	155 (18.3%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (7.0%)								(n/a)	40.3	38.7			39.5	50.6	45.4			48.0	45.4	45.4	50.3		$11,725	$454	$11,271
Liberty Intermediate School	Public	5-6	50 W 900 N	Chesterton	46304	Porter County	Duneland School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(219) 983-3690	452	27	16.6	27.0%	331 (73.2%)	6 (1.3%)	96 (21.2%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)								(n/a)	73.0	66.4			69.3	64.7	59.8			62.0	62.9	62.9	79.7		$13,208	$434	$12,774
Thomas Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	1600 Roosevelt Rd	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(219) 531-3140	632	52	12.1	39.7%	453 (71.7%)	35 (5.5%)	104 (16.5%)	11 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.6%)	83.7	61^st of 486 public middle schools	87.4%		84.4	62^nd of 480 public middle schools	87.1%	1		60.5	49.3	46.2	52.2		56.7	49.3	43.9	50.1	69.4	69.4		100.0	$11,849	$194	$11,654
New Prairie Middle School	Public	6-8	5325 N Cougar Rd	New Carlisle	46552	St. Joseph County	New Prairie United School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 654-3070	667	35	18.8	40.9%	553 (82.9%)	5 (0.7%)	75 (11.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.6%)	72.1	123^rd of 486 public middle schools	74.7%		81.5	76^th of 480 public middle schools	84.2%	47		41.2	43.3	48.8	44.3		49.3	48.5	35.0	44.6	51.6	51.6			$9,982	$322	$9,660

Frequently Asked Questions about Barker Middle School

How many students attend Barker Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 390 students attended Barker Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Barker Middle School attend?

Students who attend Barker Middle School usually go on to attend Michigan City High School

What district is Barker Middle School in?

Michigan City Area Schools

What is the racial makeup of Barker Middle School?

Students at Barker Middle School are 41% White, 34% African American, 14% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Barker Middle School a good school?

Barker Middle School ranks 337^th of 486 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Barker Middle School!

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2025–26 ILEARN & SAT test scoresSep 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.