Summary:
Middle schools in ZIP code 46816 include only one school: Paul Harding Junior High School, which serves grades 7–8 with 422 students in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as part of East Allen County Schools. The school community faces significant economic need, with 82.23% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism is 25.5%—higher than the district’s 18.7% and the state’s 16.7%.
Academically, the school has ranked in the bottom quartile for three years. In 2025–2026, it ranked 387 out of 486 schools (20th percentile, 1 star). Its ILEARN proficiency is 23.6% in English Language Arts and 14.56% in Math across all grades. Both are below the district (35.62% ELA, 34.64% Math) and the state in grade-level comparisons. Math is the weakest area: 8th grade Math proficiency is 11.37%, compared with 25.27% in the district and 34.2% statewide. ELA is stronger but still low, at 24% for 7th grade and 23.22% for 8th grade. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 12.4 and spent $12,306 per student in 2023–2024.
From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, ELA improved by 2.72 points and Math by 4.35 points, while the district declined slightly in both subjects. This is a positive trend, though the school remains far behind. The district itself is below state averages, ranking 204 out of 374 (45th percentile, 2 stars). Overall, the school is a high-poverty, high-absenteeism school with bottom-quintile rankings and proficiency well below district and state levels, especially in Math. The clearest bright spots are recent test-score gains and a relatively modest student-teacher ratio, but core achievement gaps remain large.
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