Ethel R Jones Elementary School

Ethel R Jones Elementary School is an intimate K-5 school in Portage, Indiana, one of the schools within Portage Township Schools. The school hosts 363 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Ethel R Jones Elementary School is one of 11 schools operated by Portage Township Schools, a district that teaches 6,519 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Ethel R Jones Elementary School lists that 54% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 31% Hispanic, 12% Black, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Porter County as a whole is about 84% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.5:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 44% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Porter County runs at roughly 34%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Ethel R Jones Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 44.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 40.0%.

In the surrounding community, 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. Ethel R Jones Elementary School is one of 55 public schools in Porter County (combined enrollment of about 25,813 students).

The closest other public school is Rowena Kyle Elementary School, roughly 1.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Ethel R Jones Elementary School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 30.1%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 5%: 381 students in 2018 compared to 363 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Ethel R Jones Elementary School typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.