East Chicago Lighthouse

East Chicago Lighthouse is one of the moderately sized elementary campuss in East Chicago, Indiana, overseen by East Chicago Lighthouse Charter, with 495 students on its rolls from grades K through 8.

East Chicago Lighthouse sits inside East Chicago Lighthouse Charter, the local public-school operator responsible for the campus.

On the student-mix side, East Chicago Lighthouse reports that 55% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder reads as 41% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Lake County as a whole is about 23% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.5:1. The state averages around 15.5:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Lake County (around 47%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, East Chicago Lighthouse tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 5.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 11.3%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Lake County) shows that median household earnings sit near $71,493, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Lake County's 121 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,661 students), East Chicago Lighthouse is one campus in the mix.

George Washington Elementary Sch is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around East Chicago Lighthouse. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), East Chicago Lighthouse ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 15.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area. East Chicago Lighthouse operates as a public charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but governed independently of the surrounding district's traditional schools.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count held roughly steady: 495 students in 2018 compared to 495 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 55% to 41% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 17.8:1 in 2018 to 16.5:1 today.

On allk12, members of the East Chicago Lighthouse community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.