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Block Middle School principal reports enrollment gains, early-bird credits and growing robotics team
Summary
Principal Matt Van Vlaemin told trustees enrollment is 432 with strong seventh-grade numbers, new early-bird courses giving students Algebra I and English 9 credit, and an expanded robotics club of 35 members; student Royce Edwards was recognized for a conference cross-country win.
Block Middle School Principal Matt Van Vlaemin briefed the School City of East Chicago Board of Trustees on Oct. 14 with an update on enrollment, academic programs, attendance and extracurricular activities.
Van Vlaemin said enrollment for 2025-26 is 432 students with 236 enrolled in seventh grade. He reported roughly one-third of students are English learners (about 140 students), 73 are identified as exceptional learners and 16 are dually identified.
Academic notes included "EarlyBird" courses that allow selected seventh graders to earn Algebra I or English 9 high-school credit by completing semester sequences across seventh and eighth grade; Van Vlaemin said 48 students were participating in the program districtwide at Block. He said nearly 80% of students showed growth in mathematics on the most recent iLearn measures, though proficiency levels remain below district goals.
Attendance was reported at 95.74% year to date; Van Vlaemin said the district goal is 95% and that students and staff receive monthly recognition for strong attendance.
Extracurricular highlights included an expanded robotics club with 35 members and competitive teams in the works, a successful volleyball season (8-2), and developing cross-country and track programs. Trustee and community members recognized Royce Edwards, a freshman, for winning the GLAC cross-country conference meet on Oct. 12 with a reported time of 20 minutes, 25 seconds; Edwards said, "just like to say thank you for all the support that I've been given and all the opportunities. Go, EC."
Why this matters: The presentation gives trustees context about enrollment trends, academic acceleration strategies (credit-bearing courses in middle school) and program growth that inform resource and staffing decisions.
Next steps: Principal Van Vlaemin and staff will continue to track proficiency and growth data and report back to the board as programs develop.
