Best Special Needs Schools in East Chicago, Indiana (2026)

Students at East Chicago Central High School can leave with a year of college already finished. Through the Indiana College Core, our Cardinals earn 30 general education credits that transfer as a block to Indiana's public colleges and universities, and we offer 12 career and technical education pathways for students heading toward a trade or a career. We are the high school of the School City of East Chicago, serving grades 9 to 12 on a block schedule. AVID helps students build the habits needed for college, and our JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) class pairs students with adult mentors, works toward the Governor's Work Ethic Certificate, and continues with a year of follow-up counseling after graduation. Counselors help families with ACT and SAT preparation, Core 40 diplomas, FAFSA and the 21st Century Scholars program. Our support team includes social workers and a school nurse, and Cardinal Tutoring and a homework hotline give students extra help outside class. Students can play on our athletic teams or join clubs such as drama, book club and Spanish club. Breakfast and lunch are served daily, and district buses run neighborhood routes.

• Public high school
• Career and technical education
• Dual credit college courses
• Public school

East Chicago Urban Enterprise Academy opened in 2005 with kindergarten through fourth grade and added a grade each year, gaining a middle school building in 2007 and graduating its first eighth graders two years later. Today we serve kindergarten through grade 8 as a free public charter school authorized by Ball State University, managed by The Leona Group, and accredited by Cognia. Kindergarten is full day. Students study visual arts and a foreign language, and reading and math use Savvas, Eureka Squared, IXL and i-Ready, backed by daily tiered intervention time, after-school tutoring and summer school. High Ability students meet a specialist teacher in a resource room for up to 90 minutes per subject each week. Special education students learn in general education classrooms as much as their IEPs allow, and we provide or contract for speech and occupational therapy. Dyslexia intervention uses i-Ready and mClass DIBELS, and a school social worker supports families. All students eat a free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Program. After school, Girls on the Run serves girls in grades 3 to 5 and Heart & Sole serves grades 6 to 8.

• Public charter school (K-8)
• Dyslexia
• Gifted and talented
• Full-day kindergarten

Washington Elementary teaches 487 students in kindergarten through sixth grade as part of the School City of East Chicago. Our motto is "Moving with Intention & Executing with Purpose," and we take part in Communities In Schools. Students ride district bus routes and eat breakfast and lunch at school. Our library media center hosts Scholastic book fairs, and cultural and family traditions fill the calendar, from Loteria Night and Hispanic Heritage Month to Grandparents Day and the first grade badge party. Each month we name a Student of the Month, and families can join our volunteer program after a short orientation.

• Public elementary school (K-6)
• Public school