Central Elementary School

Central Elementary School is an elementary school of tiny scale in Valparaiso, Indiana, operated by Valparaiso Community Schools, educateing 131 students in grades K through 5. That puts it 70% below the typical public school in Indiana, which averages around 436 students.

Valparaiso Community Schools comprises 11 schools with combined enrollment of 6,325 students; Central Elementary School is among them.

On demographics, Central Elementary School records that 63% of the student body identifies as White; the rest reads as 25% Hispanic, 5% Black, 4% multiracial, 2% Asian. By comparison, Porter County as a whole is about 84% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.8:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.5:1 average. Around 50% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Porter County runs at roughly 34%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Central Elementary School sits in the top 10% of Indiana schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 39.9%; actual is 68.3%, +28.5 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Porter County indicate median household earnings sit near $87,972, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Porter County's 55 public schools (combined enrollment of about 25,813 students), Central Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Benjamin Franklin Middle School, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Central Elementary School at 5th of 8; the average score across the group is 67.4%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 51%: 269 students in 2018 compared to 131 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 20% to 25%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for Central Elementary School typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.