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What advice would you give to incoming students at Central Elementary School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
409
Elementary
DISTRICT 359 · STATE 436
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PORTAGE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS·NCES 180915001508
Central Elementary School
2825 Russell St, Portage, IN 46368 · (219) 763-8015 · Porter County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL409 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
200 students
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 50%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 3 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 73 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 59 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 78 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 64 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 61 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (73) is 20% larger than its 5th grade class (61).
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 57% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ILEARN 2024-25 . % At or Above ProficiencyEnglish Language Arts
28.6%
IN avg 39.2%
Math
28.6%
IN avg 41.1%
What this means: On the ILEARN, Indiana's statewide test, about 29 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Indiana schools, those numbers are about 39 and 41.
Source: ILEARN. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of IN schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
24.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.9%
based on IN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-16.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 25% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 41% typical for Indiana schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School's state test result (24.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elementary School this school | 409 | 48.9% | 24.7% |
| Wallace Aylesworth Elementary Portage | 401 | 48.6% | 25.1% |
| Crisman Elementary School Portage | 343 | 45.2% | 34.5% |
| Washington Primary Washington | 488 | 48.6% | N/A |
| Ethel R Jones Elementary School Portage | 363 | 43.5% | 40.0% |
| Joan Martin Elementary School Hobart | 497 | 51.5% | 43.7% |
Matched among Indiana elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Central Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Indiana | In Porter County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 24.7% | #789 of 983 | #31 of 31 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.6% | #776 of 986 | #30 of 31 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 28.6% | #707 of 986 | #30 of 31 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 409 | #583 of 1,079 | #10 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #717 of 991 | #22 of 29 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.2% | #128 of 996 | #3 of 29 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.9% | #627 of 1,058 | #6 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -22.2% | #136 of 597 | #3 of 21 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
409
-50 (-11%) vs 2020
-13% since 1990-91, when it was 471
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 14.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 409 | 25 | 16.4:1 | 49% (200) |
| 2023-24 | 419 | 23.5 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 453 | 21.5 | 21.1:1 | 72% (325) |
| 2020-21 | 459 | 32 | 14.3:1 | 68% (310) |
| 2017-18 | 526 | 26 | 20.2:1 | 69% (361) |
| 2015-16 | 506 | 26 | 19.5:1 | 65% (327) |
| 2010-11 | 584 | 24 | 24.3:1 | 64% (371) |
| 2000-01 | 541 | 26 | 20.8:1 | 33% (177) |
| 1990-91 | 471 | 21 | 22.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Elementary School.
About Central Elementary School
The public elementary school Central Elementary School is located in Portage, Indiana. Students in kindergarten through 5 make up the school's enrollment of 409 students.
Portage Township Schools is the district for Central Elementary School. It has 11 schools and 6,519 students.
At Central Elementary School, White students make up the biggest share, 46%. The remaining students are 30% Hispanic, 16% Black, and 8% multiracial. Among people living in Porter County, the White share is about 84%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 67, compared with 70 nationally.
Based on 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, Central Elementary School has a ratio of 16.4:1. The average for elementary schools in Indiana, 15.5:1, is lower. Central Elementary School counts 49% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Compared with the 34% average for public schools in Porter County, the school's rate is higher.
A school in Indiana with Central Elementary School's free or reduced-price lunch share would be expected to score about 40.9%. Central Elementary School scores 24.7%.
The school's county is Porter County. According to Census Bureau estimates, median household income comes to about $87,972, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Porter County's 55 public schools enroll about 25,813 students and include Central Elementary School.
About 0.5 miles separate Central Elementary School from the closest public school, Wallace Aylesworth Elementary. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Central Elementary School places 7th out of 7 schools in its immediate area.
For locale, NCES codes Central Elementary School as Suburb: Large.
Enrollment decreased 11% over 4 years, reaching 409 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 14.3:1 to 16.4:1.
On allk12, people connected to Central Elementary School can post about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Porter County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
174,818
Census ACS
Median income
$87,972
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
55
25,813 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Portage Township Schools
- Portage High SchoolHigh · 2,163 students
- Willowcreek Middle SchoolMiddle · 920 students
- William Fegely Middle SchoolMiddle · 566 students
- Rowena Kyle Elementary SchoolElementary · 437 students
- Wallace Aylesworth ElementaryElementary · 401 students
- Ethel R Jones Elementary SchoolElementary · 363 students
Other schools in Portage
- Portage High SchoolHigh · 2,163 students
- Willowcreek Middle SchoolMiddle · 920 students
- William Fegely Middle SchoolMiddle · 566 students
- Rowena Kyle Elementary SchoolElementary · 437 students
- Wallace Aylesworth ElementaryElementary · 401 students
- Ethel R Jones Elementary SchoolElementary · 363 students
Other Central Elementary schools
151 other US public schools in 35 states are named Central Elementary. Central Elementary School is the 65th largest of the 152.
- Central Elementary SchoolIndianapolis, IN · 634 students
- Central Elementary SchoolPlainfield, IN · 549 students
- Central Elementary SchoolLawrenceburg, IN · 438 students
- Central Elementary SchoolBeech Grove, IN · 389 students
- Central Elementary SchoolClinton, IN · 366 students
Nearby schools
- Wallace Aylesworth Elementary0.5 mi · 401
- Willowcreek Middle School0.5 mi · 920
- George L Myers Elementary School0.9 mi · 332
- William Fegely Middle School1.0 mi · 566
- Rowena Kyle Elementary School1.2 mi · 437
- Portage High School1.7 mi · 2,163
Frequently asked questions
About Central Elementary SchoolHow large is Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School enrolls approximately 409 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Central Elementary School serve?
Central Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Central Elementary School?
Approximately 16.4:1 students per teacher at Central Elementary School.
How diverse is Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School reports a student body of 46% White, 30% Hispanic, 16% Black, 0% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Central Elementary School public or private?
Central Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Portage Township Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.