Budget Committee
Indiana · corporation 4660 · Lake County

Crown Point Community School Corporation

District briefing, fall 2026: enrollment, achievement, attendance, finances and property taxes.

On the ballot · November 3, 2026

Crown Point Community School Corporation: one referendum question

Shall Crown Point Community Schools increase property taxes paid to the School Corporation for no more than eight (8) years for the purpose of funding and sustaining educational and operational funding stability in response to reductions in property tax revenue, supporting essential health and safety initiatives, supporting and retaining teachers and staff, maintaining class sizes, student transportation, and funding academic and support programs to meet the educational needs of all students, by imposing a property tax rate that does not exceed $0.3870 and results in a maximum annual amount that does not exceed $19,750,000? If this operating referendum public question is approved by the voters, for a median residence of $350,000 the property's annual property tax bill would increase by $648 per year. The most recent operating referendum public question proposed by the school corporation was held in 2025 and passed.

Source: Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, final determination 26-034-REF

Enrollment
9,289
2025-26
Fall ADM
8,949
2023-24 funding count
Enrollment, 5 yr
+6.1%
headcount change · regional +0.1%
Chronic absence
13.2%
2024-25
Spending / pupil
$11,985
FY2024
School tax rate
$1.1187
pay 2026
Home value
−2%
5-yr avg vs. 6 nearby districts
Enrollment

9,289 students in 2025-26, +6.1% over five years; the regional peer median moved +0.1%.

Achievement

53.5% proficient in ELA and 65.0% in math on ILEARN 2025 (median corporation 38.2% and 40.7%), 29th of 290 statewide in ELA. Graduation rate 99.5%.

Attendance

13.2% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, against 13.2% for the median corporation.

Spending

$11,985 current spending per pupil in FY2024, above the peer median of $11,474 and above the statewide median of $11,831.

Property tax

The school tax rate payable 2026 totals $1.1187 per $100 of assessed value on a $51.7M levy; $9.1M of it is the operating referendum.

Referendum

The November 3, 2026 ballot asks for an operating referendum tax of up to $0.3870 per $100 of assessed value for up to 8 years, raising at most $19.75 million a year. If it passes, the county auditor estimates the tax bill on a median home ($350,000 assessed value) would rise by $648 a year.

Crown Point enrolled 9,289 students in 2025-26. Since 2005-06 enrollment has grown 37%; the regional peer median grew 0% and the median Indiana corporation shrank 11%. The chart indexes each series to its 2005-06 level.

Crown PointRegional peers (median)Indiana (median corporation)
14312811398832005-062009-102013-142017-182021-222025-26

Enrollment and the funding count

Indiana's tuition support formula pays on average daily membership (ADM), counted each September and again in the spring; ADM excludes pre-kindergarten, which the enrollment count includes. Crown Point's fall ADM was 8,949 in 2023-24, 0.98 per enrolled student.

School yearEnrolled studentsFall ADMPer enrolled student
2018-198,7058,6330.99
2019-208,7958,7260.99
2020-218,7538,6770.99
2021-228,8218,8111.00
2022-239,0648,8720.98
2023-249,1388,9490.98

IDOE State Tuition Support Annual Reports, Appendix A (fall count, non-virtual plus virtual ADM), and IDOE enrollment (October count).

Students, 2025-26

Student groupCrown PointPeers (median)Indiana (median)
Eligible for free or reduced-price meals23.5%25.5%46.4%
Receiving special education services16.0%16.3%18.4%
English learners3.1%4.5%2.1%
White70.3%72.3%87.6%
Hispanic or Latino17.5%9.4%6.1%
Black or African American5.2%5.6%1.0%
Asian3.2%4.7%0.4%
Two or more races3.6%5.5%3.4%

Home values against nearby districts

Across the five most recent Census releases (2016–20 to 2020–24), the median owner-occupied home in Crown Point averaged $268,980, 2% below the median of the 6 districts within 25 miles ($274,400). That ranks 4th of 7 in the area and at the 95th percentile of Indiana districts (state median $158,850).

ACS 5-year releaseCrown PointNearby medianDifferenceIndiana median
2016–20$223,200$228,750−2%$132,200
2017–21$239,700$242,700−1%$141,050
2018–22$273,500$276,450−1%$160,550
2019–23$291,200$299,350−3%$175,600
2020–24$317,300$322,000−1%$187,600
Five-release average$268,980$274,400−2%$158,850

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, median value of owner-occupied homes (table B25077), in nominal dollars. Consecutive releases share four of their five survey years, so the average is a smoothed level rather than five independent years. Nearby districts are those whose NCES office address lies within 25 miles of Crown Point's: Hanover (7 mi, $287,100); Lake Central (7 mi, $285,820); School Town of Munster (12 mi, $280,760); Duneland (20 mi, $268,040); Valparaiso (16 mi, $259,200); Tri-Creek (11 mi, $241,080).

Where resident students go, fall 2025

Of 9,986 students who live in the district, 9,017 attend Crown Point schools: a retention rate of 90.3%, 22nd of 290 statewide. 969 leave: 666 on Choice Scholarships to private schools, 66 to charter schools and 237 to other public corporations. 14 students transfer in. The largest destinations:

AttendsStudentson Choice Scholarshipsat charters
Saint Mary Catholic Comm School2152150
Crown Point Christian School1481480
Illiana Christian High School65650
Porter Township School Corp6200
Trinity Lutheran School53530
Indiana Horizon Academy51510

IDOE enrollment (October count) and fall 2025-26 transfer report. Retention = resident students enrolled in the corporation as a share of all students who live there (“settled”).

On the spring 2025 ILEARN, 53.5% of Crown Point students were proficient in English/language arts and 65.0% in math, against 38.2% and 40.7% for the median Indiana corporation. That ranks 29th and 17th among 290 corporations. Against the peer median it trails in ELA.

MeasureCrown PointPeer medianregional beneathIndiana (median)Statewide rank
ILEARN English/language arts, grades 3–8 (2025)53.5%58.6%regional 56.6%38.2%29th of 290
ILEARN math (2025)65.0%61.5%regional 61.6%40.7%17th of 290
ILEARN science (2025)58.9%58.8%regional 59.5%43.2%23rd of 290
ILEARN, proficient in both ELA and math (2025)46.8%49.1%regional 47.2%28.1%23rd of 290
IREAD-3 pass rate (2026)95.9%94.5%regional 94.8%91.3%49th of 290
SAT, met both benchmarks, grade 11 (2026)42.3%41.4%regional 40.6%19.3%17th of 289
Graduation rate (2025 cohort)99.5%96.9%regional 97.6%95.1%42nd of 289
Schools rated Meets or Exceeds Expectations (2025)100%90%regional 90%33%1st of 290

IDOE assessment, graduation and federal accountability files. Rank is among Indiana's public school corporations with a reported result (1st = highest). Only the 2025 ILEARN release is on file, so there is no trend line here.

In 2024-25, 13.2% of Crown Point students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year), against 8.5% in the peer median and 13.2% in the median Indiana corporation. That is 146th lowest of 290. Before the pandemic, in 2018-19, the rate was 9.0%.

Crown PointPeers (median)Indiana (median corporation)
19%15%11%7%3%2012-132014-152016-172018-192020-212022-232024-25

IDOE chronic absenteeism file, 2012-13 to 2024-25. A student is chronically absent after missing 10% or more of enrolled days.

Crown Point spent $11,985 per pupil on current operations in FY2024, against $11,474 for the peer median and $11,831 for the median Indiana corporation. Local property tax provided 32% of revenue (peer median 28%, Indiana median 25%) and state aid 51% (Indiana median 55%).

Crown PointPeers (median)Indiana (median corporation)
$12,696$10,859$9,022$7,185$5,348FY2006FY2010FY2014FY2018FY2024

U.S. Census Bureau annual school finance survey (F-33), current spending per pupil, nominal dollars, excluding the teacher-retirement payments the state makes on corporations' behalf (reported inconsistently in FY2023). Capital and debt payments are not current spending.

For taxes payable in 2026 the corporation certified $51.7M across its funds, at a combined rate of $1.1187 per $100 of net assessed value. The operating referendum adds $9.1M ($0.1828 per $100). Indiana's property-tax caps do not apply to referendum levies, which makes an operating referendum the one local operating revenue source outside the caps.

DLGF certified levyPay 2022Pay 2023Pay 2024Pay 2025Pay 2026
Total certified school levy$39.1M$46.7M$48.7M$53.1M$51.7M
Operations fund$9.9M$10.4M$10.9M$11.3M$11.7M
Debt service$22.0M$28.3M$29.7M$33.4M$30.9M
Operating referendum$7.2M$7.9M$8.2M$8.4M$9.1M
Referendum debt (capital)$0.0M$0.0M$0.0M$0.0M$0.0M
Total school tax rate per $100$1.1885$1.2891$1.2831$1.2248$1.1187
Operating referendum rate per $100$0.2100$0.2100$0.2063$0.1828$0.1828

Crown Point and its regional peers, pay 2026

CorporationTotal school rate per $100Operating referendum rateTotal levy
School Town of Munster$1.2751$0.4196$31.4M
Duneland School Corporation$1.2497$0.3819$49.8M
Crown Point Community School Corp$1.1187$0.1828$51.7M
Hanover Community School Corp$1.0979$0.2900$22.2M
Tri-Creek School Corporation$1.0550$0.0000$21.4M
Valparaiso Community Schools$0.8911$0.1495$34.7M
Lake Central School Corporation$0.8422$0.2526$56.6M

Crown Point's operating referendum rate is the 5th highest of these 7 corporations. Statewide, 66 of 290 school units levied an operating referendum for taxes payable 2026.

Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, Certified Budget, Levy, CNAV and Rate by Fund files. Operating referendum = funds 0022, 0023 and 0025; referendum debt = 0187 and 0287. Rates are per $100 of net assessed value; referendum funds are levied on a different assessed-value base from the other funds, so the rates are summed as published.

The November 3, 2026 question asks for an operating referendum tax of up to $0.3870 per $100 of assessed value for up to 8 years, raising at most $19.75 million a year. If it passes, the county auditor estimates the tax bill on a median home ($350,000 assessed value) would rise by $648 a year.

For taxes payable 2026, Crown Point levies $9.1M through an operating referendum, at $0.1828 per $100 of assessed value. The question's ceiling of $0.3870 is $0.2042 above that rate.

Crown Point has put 3 referendum questions to voters since 2011; all passed. Statewide, DLGF records 190 operating referendum questions from 2009 through 2025, and 133 passed (70%).

ElectionTypeResult
May 2025OperatingPassed
May 2018OperatingPassed
May 2011OperatingPassed

Ballot terms: the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance's final determination on each question, which quotes the approved wording and the county auditor's certified median-home estimate. Past results: DLGF historic referenda records (outcome only; DLGF does not publish vote counts). Current levy: DLGF certified levy by fund.

Wherever this briefing sets Crown Point beside other school corporations, it uses the groups below. A group figure is the middle value across its members, each counted equally, so one large member cannot dominate it.

Peers 12 school corporations

The 12 Indiana districts (public school corporations) most like Crown Point on four equally weighted factors: total enrollment (compared as a ratio), current spending per pupil, students per teacher and the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, each difference scaled by how much the factor varies across districts, and none more than two standard deviations away on any one. The group starts with nearby districts that match closely (within half a standard deviation on average) and fills the rest from anywhere in the state. Peers carry the achievement, spending and staffing comparisons.

School corporationCountyMilesEnrollmentSpending per pupilStudents per teacherFree/reduced-price meals
Lake Central School CorporationLake78,662$11,55417.825.5%
School Town of MunsterLake124,090$11,39418.022.2%
Penn-Harris-Madison School CorpSt Joseph6711,185$10,41619.134.5%
Westfield-Washington SchoolsHamilton11310,396$12,46316.421.5%
Northwest Allen County SchoolsAllen1168,281$9,91116.922.5%
Noblesville SchoolsHamilton11810,348$12,99915.625.9%
Brownsburg Community School CorpHendricks12110,627$10,88016.834.2%
Hamilton Southeastern SchoolsHamilton12220,633$11,80317.821.0%
New Palestine Community SchoolsHancock1413,884$11,05017.025.8%
Center Grove Community School CorpJohnson1419,811$9,96919.225.5%
Sunman-Dearborn Com Sch CorpDearborn1943,659$12,23316.322.7%
Warrick County School CorpWarrick2339,800$11,58516.735.0%

Regional peers 6 school corporations

The 6 districts (public school corporations) within 25 miles of Crown Point, straight line between district offices, whose profile on the same four factors is comparable: on average within one standard deviation. They carry enrollment, property taxes and home values, and their median sits beneath the peer median elsewhere. A district in both groups appears in both lists.

School corporationCountyMilesEnrollmentSpending per pupilStudents per teacherFree/reduced-price meals
Lake Central School CorporationLake78,662$11,55417.825.5%
Hanover Community School CorpLake72,794$11,51116.519.9%
Tri-Creek School CorporationLake113,345$10,51020.828.6%
School Town of MunsterLake124,090$11,39418.022.2%
Valparaiso Community SchoolsPorter166,250$11,06616.029.0%
Duneland School CorporationPorter205,869$12,85715.828.5%

“Indiana median” is the middle value across Indiana's public school corporations. Corporations that enroll mostly virtual students are left out of both groups. Spending is F-33 current spending excluding state on-behalf payments; students per teacher is the NCES Common Core of Data count.