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What's the most underrated thing about Union Center Elementary School that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
386
Elementary
DISTRICT 333 · STATE 436
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·UNION TOWNSHIP SCHOOL CORP·NCES 181170001872
Union Center Elementary School
272 N 600 W, Valparaiso, IN 46385 · (219) 759-2544 · Porter County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL386 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
19%
75 students
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 50%
Community
1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 47 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 60 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 73 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 65 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 70 | 18% |
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 35% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Union Township School Corp. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ILEARN 2024-25 . % At or Above ProficiencyEnglish Language Arts
63.4%
IN avg 39.2%
Math
71.7%
IN avg 41.1%
What this means: On the ILEARN, Indiana's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 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
67.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
61.8%
based on IN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 67% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 62% 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 →
Where Union Center Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Indiana | In Porter County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 67.2% | #78 of 983 | #9 of 31 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 71.7% | #101 of 986 | #11 of 31 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.4% | #78 of 986 | #8 of 31 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 386 | #639 of 1,079 | #13 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.6:1 | #834 of 991 | #25 of 29 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 31.7% | #628 of 996 | #25 of 29 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 19.4% | #1,004 of 1,058 | #29 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +13.2% | #137 of 353 | #6 of 9 |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
386
+14 (+4%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 404
Student : Teacher
17.6:1
was 18.6:1
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 | 386 | 22 | 17.6:1 | 19% (75) |
| 2023-24 | 407 | 23 | 17.7:1 | 16% (65) |
| 2022-23 | 413 | 22 | 18.8:1 | 18% (74) |
| 2020-21 | 372 | 20 | 18.6:1 | 20% (75) |
| 2017-18 | 341 | 17.5 | 19.5:1 | 18% (61) |
| 2015-16 | 303 | 16 | 18.9:1 | 16% (47) |
| 2010-11 | 378 | 17 | 22.2:1 | 13% (51) |
| 2000-01 | 368 | 19 | 19.4:1 | 4% (16) |
| 1990-91 | 404 | 23 | 17.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Union Center Elementary School.
About Union Center Elementary School
Union Center Elementary School operates as a mid-sized elementary school in Valparaiso, Indiana. It offers kindergarten through 5 and has 386 students enrolled.
Besides Union Center Elementary School, Union Township School Corp runs 3 other schools. The district enrolls 1,386 students.
Union Center Elementary School is 82% White by enrollment. Other reported shares: 12% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, and 3% Black. That is in line with Porter County, where about 84% of residents are White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 32%.
Teacher count: 22 full-time equivalents. Student-to-teacher ratio: 17.6:1. Compared with the 15.5:1 average for elementary schools in Indiana, this school's ratio is higher. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, often used to gauge student poverty, is 19%. The average for public schools in Porter County is 34%.
On BeatsExpectations, Union Center Elementary School is 5.4 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Indiana schools.
American Community Survey estimates for Porter County show that median household income comes to about $87,972, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 31% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 8%. The county's public schools total 55, with about 25,813 students.
Union Township Middle School, about 0.4 miles away, is the closest public school. A five-mile radius around the school includes 6 other public schools. By average proficiency, Union Center Elementary School is 1st among 7 schools close by.
NCES describes the area around Union Center Elementary School as Rural: Fringe, meaning in rural territory close to an urban area.
The school's student count increased 4% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years. The school's ratio dropped from 18.6:1 to 17.6:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on special education services, counseling, and support programs here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Porter County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
174,818
Census ACS
Median income
$87,972
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
55
25,813 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Union Township School Corp
- Wheeler High SchoolHigh · 387 students
- Union Township Middle SchoolMiddle · 333 students
- John Simatovich Elementary SchoolElementary · 280 students
Other schools in Valparaiso
- Valparaiso High SchoolHigh · 2,089 students
- Benjamin Franklin Middle SchoolMiddle · 823 students
- Thomas Jefferson Middle SchoolMiddle · 632 students
- Cooks Corners Elementary SchoolElementary · 487 students
- Heavilin Elementary SchoolElementary · 479 students
- Flint Lake Elementary SchoolElementary · 476 students
Nearby schools
- Union Township Middle School0.4 mi · 333
- Wheeler High School0.4 mi · 387
- John Simatovich Elementary School2.9 mi · 280
- Hobart High School4.1 mi · 1,320
- John Wood Elementary School4.1 mi · 227
- Porter Lakes Elementary School5.0 mi · 552
Frequently asked questions
About Union Center Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Union Center Elementary School?
Union Center Elementary School enrolls approximately 386 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Union Center Elementary School serve?
Union Center Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Union Center Elementary School have?
Union Center Elementary School employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.6:1.
What is the student diversity at Union Center Elementary School?
Student demographics at Union Center Elementary School are roughly 82% White, 12% Hispanic, 3% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Union Center Elementary School in?
Union Center Elementary School is part of Union Township School Corp.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.