School closings and snow days in La Porte County
When La Porte Community Schools decides, how families hear, how eLearning days work, and the weather that tends to close schools in La Porte County.
How La Porte Community Schools decides
The La Porte Community School Corporation says it aims to make a final call on delays and closings by 5:15 a.m., and if a two-hour delay turns into a closing, to announce that by 7:30 a.m. It weighs temperatures, wind chills, snow accumulation and thermometer readings across the district's 180 square miles. In 2024, the superintendent described a team of four or five people driving district roads around 4 a.m. before deciding.
Families hear it through a banner on the district's website, ParentSquare (app, text, phone call and email), the district's Facebook page, and local media: WNDU, WSBT and 96.7 FM.
eLearning days
For bad weather, La Porte now uses live eLearning days, which count as school days when at least half the instruction is face-to-face over video. Days with only posted lessons are limited to three, and closings beyond that are made up in person.
Other La Porte County schools
Every district decides for itself and posts on its own site: Michigan City Area Schools, New Prairie, South Central, Tri-Township, Westville (New Durham Township), Marquette Catholic and La Lumiere. All of them are on our Snow day page.
The weather that tends to matter
- Overnight and early-morning snow or ice, especially lake-effect bands that hit some routes and not others.
- Bitter wind chills at bus-stop time. The Weather Service now issues Cold Weather Advisories and Extreme Cold Warnings for dangerous wind chills.
- Blowing and drifting snow on rural roads in the south of the county, even after the snow stops.
- Dense fog, which can bring a delay without any snow.
On our home page, School Delay Watch estimates from the Weather Service forecast whether snow, ice, fog or wind chill could affect the next school morning. It's our estimate, not an announcement: it says a delay or closing is possible, never that one is happening, because only your district decides. We check every call against what the districts did on our Track Record.
Questions
When does La Porte Community Schools announce a delay or closing?
The district aims to decide by 5:15 a.m., and if a two-hour delay becomes a closing, to say so by 7:30 a.m.
Where are La Porte school closings posted?
On the La Porte Community School Corporation website's banner, through ParentSquare (app, text, call and email), on the district's Facebook page, and on WNDU, WSBT and 96.7 FM.
Does La Porte use eLearning days for snow?
Yes. La Porte uses live eLearning days for bad weather; days with only posted lessons are limited to three.
What wind chill closes schools in La Porte?
La Porte Community Schools doesn't publish a single number. It weighs temperatures, wind chills, snow and road conditions across the district before deciding.
Can La Porte Weather Now tell me if school is closed?
No. Only your district decides. Our School Delay Watch is an estimate from the Weather Service forecast, and our Snow day page links to every district's official announcements.
Sources: La Porte Community School Corporation: delays and closings · La Porte Community School Corporation: eLearning days · Citizen Portal: La Porte's weather-delay process (Sept. 2024)