The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Math. The lowest is 68% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Elementary School
Liberty Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade as part of the Duneland School Corporation in Chesterton, Indiana. It is a regular public school in a district that also includes four other elementary schools, two intermediate schools, two middle schools, and Chesterton High School. The town of Chesterton sits about 50 miles southeast of Chicago, close to the Indiana Dunes, and it functions as both a commuter community and a tourist gateway. Chesterton has a traditional downtown with shops and galleries, trails linking to the lakeshore, and a South Shore Line station that provides rail access to the city. Housing in the area tends to cost above the typical Indiana level, reflecting the town’s desirability and proximity to the dunes and to Chicago.
Liberty Elementary’s state test results are a clear strength. On the ILEARN assessments, students posted rates in math and English language arts that placed the school among the highest-performing elementary buildings when compared with others in Porter County. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects ranked in the top quartile relative to districts in Porter County. Science results, which come from a single tested fourth-grade cohort, were also high. Participation in the state tests was complete, and the scores suggest that students generally meet or exceed grade-level expectations. A parent looking for an elementary with solid academic fundamentals will find Liberty’s performance reassuring.
Demographically, the school enrolls a substantial number of students, with a student body that is predominantly white and includes a notable share of Hispanic students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a standard measure of economic need and places the school in a middle range for the county. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the profile. Families may want to ask the school directly about special education staffing and English learner supports, since those are common questions at the elementary level and the public data does not address them.
The school offers no programs such as magnet or charter designations. It does not appear to have a formal Title I status, though the free-meal share would typically make it eligible. Course access, staffing ratios, and attendance information were also absent from the profile. For a parent, the missing details are worth following up on with the school office; they are not unusual for a small primary school that may report less publicly than larger secondary buildings.
Beyond the school itself, the Duneland School Corporation has undergone a notable change. Chesterton Middle School was permanently closed in 2024, and its students were redistricted to Liberty Middle School and Westchester Middle School. That reorganization shifted feeder patterns, so a family moving into Liberty Elementary’s attendance zone should confirm which intermediate and middle school their child would eventually attend. In May 2025, voters approved an operating referendum that funds teacher salaries, academic programs, and school safety; it takes effect in 2026 and runs through a set duration, replacing an earlier referendum. The measure will affect property taxes for the life of the levy.
Liberty Elementary School sits in a community with a strong pull for families—the town has steady growth, a recognized arts scene, and recreational access to the Indiana Dunes. The school itself delivers tested academic results that are among the best in Porter County, and its size and demographics reflect a relatively stable, primarily middle-class population. The most significant considerations for a family are the middle school redistricting, the property tax implications of the new referendum, and the fact that some useful program and support data are not visible in public sources. Those are the details a prospective parent would want to investigate further before making a decision.
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