Enrollment
231
Elementary
DISTRICT 398 · STATE 436
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORP·NCES 180387000640
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr
2367 E 21st Ave, Gary, IN 46407 · (219) 886-6542 · Lake County
GRADES PK–KGELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL231 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
23.1:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.5:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
101 students
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 50%
Community
0
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 | 231 | 100% |
Student demographics
23%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 22% · 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
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONSchools most like Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr this school | 231 | 43.7% | N/A |
| New Augusta Public Academy - South Indianapolis | 437 | 53.1% | 23.0% |
| Frankie Woods McCullough Academy Gary | 472 | 57.4% | 7.1% |
| Edgar L Miller Elementary School Merrillville | 330 | 61.2% | 30.2% |
| Homer Iddings Elementary School Merrillville | 535 | 44.3% | 22.3% |
| Banneker Elementary at Marquette Gary | 293 | 64.8% | 12.5% |
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 Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Indiana | In Lake County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 231 | #958 of 1,079 | #67 of 70 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.1:1 | #985 of 991 | #67 of 69 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 22.8% | #725 of 996 | #66 of 69 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 43.7% | #725 of 1,058 | #46 of 70 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -54.7% | #7 of 597 | #2 of 39 |
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
231
-62 (-21%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 279
Student : Teacher
23.1:1
was 16.3:1
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 | 231 | 10 | 23.1:1 | 44% (101) |
| 2023-24 | 253 | 9 | 28.1:1 | 27% (69) |
| 2022-23 | 199 | 10 | 19.9:1 | 74% (148) |
| 2020-21 | 293 | 18 | 16.3:1 | 100% (293) |
| 2017-18 | 510 | 10 | 51.0:1 | 32% (164) |
| 2015-16 | 533 | 16 | 33.3:1 | 65% (345) |
| 2010-11 | 689 | 21 | 32.8:1 | 60% (414) |
| 2000-01 | 685 | 19 | 36.0:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 279 | 16 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr.
About Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is a public small elementary school in Gary, Indiana. It enrolled 231 students in pre-K through kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year. Enrollment is 47% lower than the average for elementary schools in Indiana, which is about 436.
Gary Community School Corp has a total of 10 schools and 4,383 students, Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr among them.
Federal enrollment data show Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is 87% Black. Other groups make up 8% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. Lake County as a whole is about 23% Black, so the school's share is higher. Pick two students at random and there is a 23% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its 10 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 23.1:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 15.5:1 average for elementary schools in Indiana. The school's lunch program data list 44% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Census estimates describe Lake County this way: the median household income is $71,493, about 26% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 11%. In all, Lake County has 121 public schools and roughly 74,661 students.
The shortest distance from Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr to another public school is about 0.8 miles, to Daniel Hale Williams Elem Sch. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr dropped 21% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 293 to 231 students. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 16.3:1; by 2024-25 it was 23.1:1.
Community posts for Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Lake County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
500,379
Census ACS
Median income
$71,493
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
121
74,661 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Gary Community School Corp
- West Side Leadership AcademyHigh · 1,232 students
- Glen Park Acad for Excel in LrnElementary · 566 students
- Frankie Woods McCullough AcademyElementary · 472 students
- Daniel Hale Williams Elem SchElementary · 450 students
- Beveridge Elementary SchoolElementary · 374 students
- Gary Middle SchoolMiddle · 365 students
Other schools in Gary
- West Side Leadership AcademyHigh · 1,232 students
- 21st Century Charter Sch of GaryCombined · 1,180 students
- Gary Lighthouse Charter SchoolCombined · 1,138 students
- Charter School of the DunesElementary · 836 students
- Thea Bowman Leadership AcademyCombined · 773 students
- Aspire Charter AcademyElementary · 684 students
Nearby schools
- Daniel Hale Williams Elem Sch0.8 mi · 450
- Gary Virtual Academy1.7 mi · 45
- Henry S Evans Elementary School1.8 mi · 400
- River Forest High School2.0 mi · 565
- River Forest Middle School2.1 mi · 369
- Gary Middle College2.1 mi · 202
Frequently asked questions
About Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev CtrHow large is Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr enrolls approximately 231 students in grades PK-KG.
Is Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr an elementary, middle, or high school?
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is an elementary school covering grades PK-KG.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is approximately 23.1:1 (10 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr?
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr reports a student body of 1% White, 8% Hispanic, 87% Black, 3% Two or more.
Is Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr public or private?
Mary M Bethune Early Child Dev Ctr is a public K-12 school, overseen by Gary Community School Corp.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.