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John Simatovich Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

100^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,015 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 90% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

John Simatovich Elementary School is a K–5 public school in Valparaiso, Indiana, serving 280 students as part of the Union Township School Corp, one of Indiana's highest-ranked districts (14th of 374 districts statewide). The school ranked 100th of 1,015 Indiana elementary schools in 2025–26, placing it in the 90th percentile with 5 stars — a rebound from 2024–25, when it ranked 221st of 1,005 (78th percentile, 4 stars). Historically, it has usually been in the top 10–20% of the state.

Science is the clearest standout: 78.95% proficiency in 2025–26, higher than every nearby school, including Memorial Elementary School (71.95%), Cooks Corners Elementary School (69.05%), Central Elementary School (68.18%), Northview Elementary School (59.62%), and Union Center Elementary School (57.14%), as well as all Portage Township Schools buildings (25.4%–50%). It is far above the district's 53.97% and the state's 4th-grade science figure of 43.8%. Math is strong overall at 67.8% — above the district's 61.03% — but uneven: 4th-grade math is exceptional at 89.47%, the highest among nearby schools, while 5th-grade math is 48.84%, below the district's 53.7%. ELA is solid at 64.41%, slightly below the district's 65.33% and well above the available state grade-level figures (roughly 41%–42%) and all Portage schools (27.59%–49.39%). Fifth-grade social studies was 62.79%, above the state's 47.2% but below the district's 65.74%, a sharp rebound from 26% in 2024–25.

Chronic absenteeism was 8.9% in 2024–25 — well below Indiana's 16.7%, but above the district's 6.9% and above several affluent peers. About 45.71% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, much higher than Union Center (19.43%), Cooks Corners (23.2%), or Memorial (24.88%), yet achievement is far above the Portage schools and competitive with several nearby Valparaiso schools, suggesting strong value-added instruction. Per-student spending was $13,068 in 2023–24, higher than most nearby schools, with a 14.7 student–teacher ratio. Areas to watch are 5th-grade math, ELA relative to the region's elite schools, and reducing absenteeism further.

280

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,068

Per pupil spending ?

45.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

424 W 500 N
Valparaiso, IN 46385

(219) 759-2508

District: Union Township School Corp

Students who attend John Simatovich Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Union Township Middle School
High:	Wheeler High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.2%

Hispanic:

21.1%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare John Simatovich Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 89th percentile in 2016 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (67% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Indiana elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg62%

Indiana avg47%

100^th of 1,015

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	87.5	100 of 1015	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	76.2	221 of 1005	78.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.9	114 of 1011	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.1	110 of 1016	89.2%	★★★★☆
2022	78.9	185 of 1020	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	76.4	214 of 1016	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	85.1	110 of 1031	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	85.4	101 of 1027	90.2%	★★★★★
2017	83.9	119 of 1033	88.5%	★★★★☆
2016	82.6	120 of 1046	88.5%	★★★★☆
2015	76.4	193 of 1040	81.4%	★★★★☆
2014	80.7	126 of 1036	87.8%	★★★★☆
2013	85.8	60 of 1035	94.2%	★★★★★
2012	69.8	287 of 1015	71.7%	★★★★☆
2011	66.1	361 of 1025	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.6	254 of 1009	74.8%	★★★★☆
2009	73.0	247 of 1003	75.4%	★★★★☆
2008	78.4	154 of 996	84.5%	★★★★☆
2007	69.3	290 of 985	70.6%	★★★★☆
2006	80.4	131 of 961	86.4%	★★★★☆
2005	78.5	138 of 959	85.6%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Science79%

Math68%

English Language Arts64%

Social Studies63%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near John Simatovich 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
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
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
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
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
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
Cooks Corners Elementary School	Public	K-5	358 Bullseye Lake Rd	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(219) 531-3040	487	25	19.4	23.2%	387 (79.5%)	12 (2.5%)	71 (14.6%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	91	60^th of 1015 public elementary schools	94.1%		87.5	117^th of 1005 public elementary schools	88.4%	57	58.3	71.4	68.8	66.5	72.2	76.2	63.8	70.8	69.1	69.1	68.8	$8,529	$329	$8,200
Memorial Elementary School	Public	K-5	1052 Park Ave	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(219) 531-3090	434	24	18.4	24.9%	325 (74.9%)	9 (2.1%)	72 (16.6%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.9%)	97	12^th of 1015 public elementary schools	98.8%		97	13^th of 1005 public elementary schools	98.7%	1	81.2	74.4	84.8	80.0	79.7	85.4	82.3	82.6	72.0	72.0	79.8	$8,732	$114	$8,617
Northview Elementary School	Public	K-5	257 Northview Dr	Valparaiso	46383	Porter County	Valparaiso Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(219) 531-3100	276	20	13.8	42.0%	217 (78.6%)	8 (2.9%)	43 (15.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	87.6	99^th of 1015 public elementary schools	90.2%		94.5	34^th of 1005 public elementary schools	96.6%	65	73.9	69.2	51.1	65.0	76.1	84.6	53.3	72.0	59.6	59.6	62.2	$10,590	$537	$10,053
Rowena Kyle Elementary School	Public	K-5	2701 Hamstrom Rd	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8030	437	25	17.8	35.0%	183 (41.9%)	61 (14.0%)	175 (40.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.9%)	39	628^th of 1015 public elementary schools	38.1%		46	562^nd of 1005 public elementary schools	44.1%	66	40.3	40.6	35.4	38.4	49.3	43.5	20.8	35.8	36.2	36.2	28.1	$10,036	$749	$9,287
George L Myers Elementary School	Public	K-5	3100 Willowdale	Portage	46368	Porter County	Portage Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 763-8035	332	22	15.0	41.3%	182 (54.8%)	20 (6.0%)	101 (30.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (7.8%)	53.6	478^th of 1015 public elementary schools	52.9%		44.2	579^th of 1005 public elementary schools	42.4%	101	45.8	49.2	52.8	49.4	50.0	55.6	26.4	44.5	25.4	25.4	45.3	$11,588	$1,273	$10,315

Frequently Asked Questions about John Simatovich Elementary School

Is John Simatovich Elementary School a good school?

Yes. John Simatovich Elementary School ranks in the top 9.9% of Indiana elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of John Simatovich Elementary School attend?

Students who attend John Simatovich Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Union Township Middle School
High : Wheeler High School

How many students attend John Simatovich Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 280 students attended John Simatovich Elementary School.

What district is John Simatovich Elementary School in?

Union Township School Corp

What is the racial makeup of John Simatovich Elementary School?

Students at John Simatovich Elementary School are 73% White, 21% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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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.