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Union Center Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

63^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 94% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Union Center Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school located in Valparaiso, Indiana, serving 407 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Union Township School Corporation, which is ranked 14th out of 380 school districts in Indiana and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Union Center Elementary School consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Indiana, with ILEARN test scores significantly higher than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 63.41% of all students were proficient or better in ILEARN English Language Arts, compared to 61.29% for the district and 40.3% for the state. In ILEARN Math, 71.71% of all students were proficient or better, compared to 65.92% for the district and 51.5% for the state. The school also maintains relatively low chronic absenteeism rates and a low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a relatively low-poverty student population.

When compared to nearby schools, Union Center Elementary School outperforms John Simatovich Elementary School, which is also part of the Union Township School Corporation, in both academic performance and student demographics. Compared to schools in the Valparaiso Community Schools district, such as Memorial Elementary School, Union Center Elementary School performs at a similar or slightly lower level academically, but has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Compared to schools in the Portage Township Schools district, such as South Haven Elementary and Paul Saylor Elementary, Union Center Elementary School significantly outperforms in both academic achievement and student demographics.

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: Improving — 89th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (67% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of Indiana elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg62%

Indiana avg38%

63^rd of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to top 6% (2025)

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 380Union 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
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 (2024-2025) ?

Math72%

Social Studies69%+31 vs state

Science63%

English Language Arts63%

5.0

2 ratings

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Union Center Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)				ILEARN Math (2025)				ILEARN Science (2025)		ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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%)	91.4	63^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	93.7%		94.7	30^th of 1011 public elementary schools	97.0%	33	60.3	63.5	66.7	63.4	67.1	77.8	71.0	71.7	63.5	63.5	69.1	$9,519	$150	$9,369
John Simatovich Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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%)	76.2	221^st of 1005 public elementary schools	78.0%		85.9	114^th of 1011 public elementary schools	88.7%	107	63.4	44.4	50.0	52.2	73.2	84.4	54.0	69.9	62.2	62.2	26.0	$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%)	40.5	617^th of 1005 public elementary schools	38.6%		46.4	564^th of 1011 public elementary schools	44.2%	53	31.4	41.9		36.2	37.3	55.8		45.7	20.9	20.9		$12,508	$891	$11,617
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	653 Hayes Leonard Rd	Valparaiso	46385	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%)	90	81^st of 1005 public elementary schools	91.9%		92.2	56^th of 1011 public elementary schools	94.5%	25	60.0	50.0	76.9	62.5	80.0	76.9	80.8	79.2	53.9	53.9	73.1	$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)	52.3			52.3	72.5			72.5				$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%)	56.6	440^th of 1005 public elementary schools	56.2%		59.8	415^th of 1011 public elementary schools	59.0%	25	23.9	44.7	48.0	38.2	45.0	57.7	46.1	49.0	44.7	44.7	41.2	$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%)	89.6	86^th of 1005 public elementary schools	91.4%		82.3	159^th of 1011 public elementary schools	84.3%	73	54.3	64.6	60.2	59.3	79.1	84.6	54.8	74.1	73.6	73.6	53.8	$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%)	40.7	614^th of 1005 public elementary schools	38.9%		36.8	662^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	34.5%	48	44.2	33.3	33.3	37.2	50.0	51.1	25.0	42.1	24.4	24.4	18.8	$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%)	55.4	454^th of 1005 public elementary schools	54.8%		62.7	379^th of 1011 public elementary schools	62.5%	75	34.7	24.1	41.7	33.3	59.7	59.8	61.9	60.5	32.2	32.2	36.9	$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%)	22.7	794^th of 1005 public elementary schools	21.0%		17.1	845^th of 1011 public elementary schools	16.4%	51	19.2	28.0	20.0	22.5	34.0	28.0	20.0	27.2	36.0	36.0	18.0	$11,730	$910	$10,820

Frequently Asked Questions about Union Center Elementary 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 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

Is Union Center Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Union Center Elementary School ranks in the top 6.3% of Indiana elementary schools.

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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Schools in Valparaiso, IN

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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.