Enrollment
286
Combined
STATE 531
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·STEEL CITY ACADEMY·NCES 180017102614
Steel City Academy
2650 W 35th Avenue, Gary, IN 46408 · (219) 750-1010 · Lake County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED21-SUBURBCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL286 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
8.9:1
32 FTE teachers
STATE 24.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
79%
225 students
STATE 50%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 17 | 6% |
| Grade 1 | 21 | 7% |
| Grade 2 | 21 | 7% |
| Grade 3 | 21 | 7% |
| Grade 4 | 23 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 25 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 27 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 25 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 15 | 5% |
| Grade 9 | 23 | 8% |
| Grade 10 | 20 | 7% |
| Grade 11 | 28 | 10% |
| Grade 12 | 20 | 7% |
This year's kindergarten class (17) is 13% larger than its 8th grade class (15).
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
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
20.9%
IN avg 39.2%
Math
6.7%
IN avg 41.1%
What this means: On the ILEARN, Indiana's statewide test, about 21 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 7 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
13.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
19.9%
based on IN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 13% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 20% typical for Indiana schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Indiana's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
286
-129 (-31%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
8.9:1
was 31.9:1
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 | 286 | 32 | 8.9:1 | 79% (225) |
| 2023-24 | 317 | 21 | 15.1:1 | 67% (212) |
| 2022-23 | 343 | 22 | 15.6:1 | 91% (312) |
| 2020-21 | 415 | 13 | 31.9:1 | 76% (317) |
| 2017-18 | 296 | N/A | N/A | 100% (296) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Steel City Academy.
About Steel City Academy
Steel City Academy is a low-enrollment combined-grade school serving families in Gary, Indiana. The school enrolls 286 students, from kindergarten through 12. Average enrollment for combined schools in Indiana is about 531, so this school runs 46% smaller than that.
In federal data, the district for Steel City Academy is the school itself.
Black students are the large majority at Steel City Academy, with 92% of enrollment. The next largest groups are 3% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. In Lake County overall, about 23% of residents are Black. The chance that two students picked at random at Steel City Academy belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 15%.
Its teaching staff equals 32 full-time positions, a ratio of 8.9:1. For comparison, combined schools in Indiana average 24.5:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 79%. For comparison, public schools in Lake County average 47%.
After adjusting for student poverty, Steel City Academy lands between the top and bottom 10% of Indiana schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 13.2%; the prediction is 19.9%.
Within Lake County, median household income is about $71,493, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 121 public schools in Lake County, with a combined enrollment of about 74,661.
Of nearby public schools, Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School is the closest, at about 1.1 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Steel City Academy comes in 2nd of 7 nearby schools on average proficiency.
NCES describes the area around Steel City Academy as Suburb: Large, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more. Charter status: Steel City Academy is a public charter school.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Steel City Academy went from 415 students to 286. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 31.9:1 in 2020-21 to 8.9:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about Steel City Academy may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
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
- 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
- Lake Ridge New Tech Middle School1.1 mi · 447
- Excel Center - Gary1.4 mi · 125
- Frankie Woods McCullough Academy1.8 mi · 472
- Calumet New Tech High School2.2 mi · 620
- Beveridge Elementary School2.3 mi · 374
- Glen Park Acad for Excel in Lrn2.4 mi · 566
Frequently asked questions
About Steel City AcademyWhat is the total enrollment at Steel City Academy?
Steel City Academy enrolls approximately 286 students in grades KG-12.
Is Steel City Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Steel City Academy is a combined-grade school covering grades KG-12.
How many teachers does Steel City Academy have?
Steel City Academy employs 32 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 8.9:1.
How diverse is Steel City Academy?
Steel City Academy reports a student body of 2% White, 3% Hispanic, 92% Black, 3% Two or more.
What district is Steel City Academy in?
Steel City Academy is part of Steel City Academy.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.