The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 30% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Griffth Jr/sr High School
Griffith Jr/Sr High School serves grades six through twelve, making it the sole secondary school in Griffith Public Schools. The school, a regular public institution, enrolls just over a thousand students, making it a mid-sized school for the grade band it covers. The student body is diverse: roughly two out of every five students are white, and the remainder are split primarily between Hispanic students and Black students, with a smaller share of students who identify as two or more races and a very small number of Asian or Native American students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that indicates the school serves a population with significant economic need.
Academically, the school’s performance on Indiana’s ILEARN assessments places it above the midpoint among districts in Lake County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The available state testing data covers grades six through eight in math and English language arts, plus science at one grade level within that span. In math, about three out of every ten students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, the share was roughly the same. Science results were somewhat stronger, with roughly two out of every five students scoring proficient or above. Because this is a single year of data and the assessment’s comparability over time is not established, a parent would want to ask the school about trends and how the school tracks growth from year to year. The high school grades are assessed through a different state test, and no results for those grades were provided, so the overall picture of academic performance is primarily drawn from the middle grades. The graduation rate was not reported in the data, a gap that may reflect how the state reports this metric; a parent who wants this number should check directly with the school or district.
The school building itself has been the subject of recent district attention. Griffith Public Schools pursued a bond in 2025 to fund major renovations at the junior-senior high school, including a cafeteria expansion, a secure entrance, classroom upgrades, and HVAC improvements. The district proposed funding this through its existing referendum tax rate without a new tax increase. That the building was originally the middle school and became the high school after the original high school closed due to structural problems gives context to the need for work. A parent visiting the campus today should expect a building that has undergone use changes and is now in line for significant upgrades, but that still carries the limitations of an older facility adapted to serve a combined junior-senior high population.
Griffith itself is a predominantly residential town in Lake County, roughly a 25‑minute drive from the Chicago Loop without traffic, though a commute of that length is common for residents. The town’s downtown along Broad Street has seen streetscape improvements and a bike trail, but the overall fabric is single-family residential neighborhoods. The school is not downtown it sits on its own campus within the residential area. The town’s population has been gradually declining over the past few decades, though median home values and household incomes have risen, suggesting a degree of economic stability even as the population base shrinks. Housing values in the area are moderately below the national median, and rents are also somewhat lower, making Griffith a relatively affordable option compared to many parts of the Chicago metropolitan area.
A parent or resident evaluating this school should see a mid-sized, diverse, combined junior-senior high school where the academic performance stands a bit above the county middle on the state tests that are available, but where proficiency rates in core subjects are below a majority of students reaching the proficient bar. The economic need among the student body is substantial. The building is an older adapted facility that the district has committed to renovating, so physical conditions should improve. The town itself is a stable, affordable, residential community with modest population decline but rising property values. For a family that values a combined secondary campus, a diverse student body, and a school that is part of a smaller district with a clear near-term capital plan, this school fits. A family focused on high-end academic outcomes or very high test scores will want to look closely at the specific programs and course offerings at the high school level, as the publicly available performance data is weighted toward the middle grades and does not capture the full high school picture.
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