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Union Center Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

66^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,015 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Union Center Elementary School is a K–5 public elementary school in Valparaiso, Indiana, serving 386 students as part of Union Township School Corp. It is a consistently high performer: in 2025–2026 it ranked 66th of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools — the 93rd percentile — with 5 stars, and it has placed in the top 15% of the state every year for a decade. The district is also highly ranked, at 14th of 374 districts statewide.

Its most striking strength is attendance. Chronic absenteeism was just 2.6% in 2024–2025, compared with 6.9% for the district and 16.7% statewide, and it is the lowest rate among nearby schools — well below Memorial Elementary School (5.1%), Jerry Ross Elementary School (9.1%) and same-district John Simatovich Elementary School (8.9%). Union Center also has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate of its neighbors, at 19.43%, versus 45.71% at Simatovich. Academically, all-grade proficiency was 71.3% in both English Language Arts and Math and 57.14% in Science, and every tested grade level exceeded the state benchmark — 3rd-grade Math reached 85.14%. Memorial and Jerry Ross post higher Math and Science results, while Union Center outperforms Simatovich in ELA and Math but not Science.

Three things are worth watching. Science has declined from 71.05% in 2022–2023 to 57.14% in 2025–2026 and trails elite nearby schools. Fifth grade is a relative soft spot in ELA (64.62%) and Math (56.92%), though 5th-grade Social Studies was strong at 67.69%. All-grade Math has slipped from 78.4% in 2022–2023, even as ELA rebounded. Notably, Union Center spends $9,519 per student — less than most nearby schools — with a student-teacher ratio of 17.5.

386

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,519

Per pupil spending ?

19.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

272 N 600 W
Valparaiso, IN 46385

(219) 759-2544

District: Union Township School Corp

Students who attend Union Center Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Union Township Middle School
High:	Wheeler High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.6%

Hispanic:

12.2%

Two or more races:

3.4%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Union Center Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 98th percentile in 2023 → 93rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (69% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of Indiana elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 98th-percentile peak (2023) to 93rd (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg62%

Indiana avg47%

66^th of 1,015

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From top 15% (2016) to top 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Union Township School Corp

14^th of 374Union Township 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	90.2	66 of 1015	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	91.4	63 of 1005	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	94.7	30 of 1011	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	96.1	19 of 1016	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.0	62 of 1020	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	83.9	135 of 1016	86.7%	★★★★☆
2019	90.9	55 of 1031	94.7%	★★★★★
2018	92.2	30 of 1027	97.1%	★★★★★
2017	91.6	27 of 1033	97.4%	★★★★★
2016	80.2	155 of 1046	85.2%	★★★★☆
2015	83.0	114 of 1040	89.0%	★★★★☆
2014	68.1	342 of 1036	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	78.3	160 of 1035	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	80.0	145 of 1015	85.7%	★★★★☆
2011	83.2	86 of 1025	91.6%	★★★★★
2010	87.5	49 of 1009	95.1%	★★★★★
2009	90.3	34 of 1003	96.6%	★★★★★
2008	89.4	44 of 996	95.6%	★★★★★
2007	86.8	61 of 985	93.8%	★★★★★
2006	91.0	32 of 961	96.7%	★★★★★
2005	90.4	40 of 959	95.8%	★★★★★

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts71%

Math71%

Social Studies68%+20 vs state

Science57%

5.0

2 ratings

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Union Center Elementary 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)	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	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Union Center Elementary School	Public	K-5	272 N 600 W	Valparaiso	46385	Porter County	Union Township School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 759-2544	386	22	17.5	19.4%	315 (81.6%)	10 (2.6%)	47 (12.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)	90.2	66^th of 1015 public elementary schools	93.5%		91.4	63^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	93.7%	3	74.3	74.0	64.6	71.3	85.1	70.1	56.9	71.3	57.1	57.1	67.7	$9,519	$150	$9,369
John Simatovich Elementary School	Public	K-5	424 W 500 N	Valparaiso	46385	Porter County	Union Township School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 759-2508	280	19	14.7	45.7%	205 (73.2%)	1 (0.4%)	59 (21.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (4.6%)	87.5	100^th of 1015 public elementary schools	90.1%		76.2	221^st of 1005 public elementary schools	78.0%	121	62.2	63.2	67.4	64.4	67.6	89.5	48.8	67.8	79.0	79.0	62.8	$13,068	$593	$12,475
John Wood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	6100 E 73rd Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5305	227	21	10.8	58.6%	43 (18.9%)	102 (44.9%)	66 (29.1%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	52.1	499^th of 1015 public elementary schools	50.8%		40.5	617^th of 1005 public elementary schools	38.6%	118	43.2	49.1		46.7	56.8	52.8		54.4	20.8	20.8		$12,508	$891	$11,617
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	653 Hayes Leonard Rd	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 531-3030	131	10	13.7	50.4%	83 (63.4%)	6 (4.6%)	33 (25.2%)	3 (2.3%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)	86.7	115^th of 1015 public elementary schools	88.7%		90	81^st of 1005 public elementary schools	91.9%	34	63.6	77.3	59.3	66.2	72.7	86.4	51.9	69.0	68.2	68.2	55.6	$14,846	$1,264	$13,582
Porter Lakes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	208 S 725 W	Hebron	46341	Porter County	Porter Township School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 476-3455	552	28	19.7	32.4%	441 (79.9%)	9 (1.6%)	84 (15.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	11 (2.0%)								(n/a)	58.7			58.7	72.8			72.8				$9,884	$441	$9,443
Joan Martin Elementary School	Public	1-5	301 E 10th St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	School City of Hobart	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 947-7869	497	24	20.7	51.5%	274 (55.1%)	35 (7.0%)	161 (32.4%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	64.2	352^nd of 1015 public elementary schools	65.3%		56.6	440^th of 1005 public elementary schools	56.2%	88	46.4	43.5	47.8	45.8	59.5	53.7	41.3	51.4	44.4	44.4	58.7	$10,901	$793	$10,108
Jerry Ross Elementary School	Public	K-5	11319 Randolph St	Crown Point	46307	Lake County	Crown Point Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 663-3010	650	37	17.4	21.2%	456 (70.2%)	37 (5.7%)	120 (18.5%)	11 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (3.7%)	94.4	27^th of 1015 public elementary schools	97.3%		89.6	86^th of 1005 public elementary schools	91.4%	59	80.9	67.6	69.2	71.7	88.3	73.9	75.8	78.4	68.4	68.4	71.4	$11,007	$376	$10,630
South Haven Elementary School	Public	K-5	395 W Midway Dr	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8045	311	22	14.4	47.6%	208 (66.9%)	34 (10.9%)	55 (17.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	44.8	574^th of 1015 public elementary schools	43.4%		40.7	614^th of 1005 public elementary schools	38.9%	40	22.9	60.0	29.6	38.0	41.7	60.0	22.7	42.3	50.0	50.0	13.6	$12,164	$744	$11,420
Liberty Elementary School	Public	1-5	130 N Liberty St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	School City of Hobart	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 942-4251	398	22	18.5	58.0%	215 (54.0%)	52 (13.1%)	113 (28.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	61	385^th of 1015 public elementary schools	62.1%		55.4	454^th of 1005 public elementary schools	54.8%	69	40.0	44.2	40.0	41.3	57.3	61.0	57.8	58.7	40.3	40.3	42.2	$11,550	$1,022	$10,528
Paul Saylor Elementary School	Public	K-5	331 Midway	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8040	274	18	15.6	49.6%	126 (46.0%)	74 (27.0%)	61 (22.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.4%)	31.6	704^th of 1015 public elementary schools	30.6%		22.7	794^th of 1005 public elementary schools	21.0%	90	13.9	35.0	46.8	33.3	30.6	32.5	21.3	27.6	27.5	27.5	38.3	$11,730	$910	$10,820

Frequently Asked Questions about Union Center Elementary School

Is Union Center Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Union Center Elementary School ranks in the top 6.5% of Indiana elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Union Center Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Union Center Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Union Township Middle School
High : Wheeler High School

What district is Union Center Elementary School in?

Union Township School Corp

How many students attend Union Center Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 386 students attended Union Center Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Union Center Elementary School?

Students at Union Center Elementary School are 82% White, 12% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 3% African American.

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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.