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Pendleton, Indiana - 5 schools
An equity score of 21/100 ranks South Madison Com Sch Corp #350 of 373 districts in Indiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $9,834 per pupil, South Madison Com Sch Corp ranks #366 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending (Indiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,456
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$9,834
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Madison Com Sch Corp operates 5 public schools serving 4,456 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Indiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Madison County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $9,834 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 41 of 406 Indiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Indiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 26.6% local, 65.9% state, and 7.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 21/100, ranked #350 of 373 in Indiana against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (23 AP courses district-wide), a 644.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 13.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.5% White, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Maple Ridge Elementary School, with a diversity index of 45.0/100.
Its largest campus is Pendleton Heights High School, enrolling 1,502 students (32% of the district's total enrollment).
Pendleton Heights High School accounts for 32.2% of all South Madison Com Sch Corp student enrollment
That dominant concentration means South Madison Com Sch Corp-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
South Madison Com Sch Corp school enrollment varies 2.2× across entities
South Madison Com Sch Corp school enrollment ranges from 687 students (lowest) to 1,502 students (highest), a spread of 815 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
South Madison Com Sch Corp student-counselor ratio is 644:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
South Madison Com Sch Corp chronic absenteeism rate is 13.8% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
How many schools are in South Madison Com Sch Corp?
South Madison Com Sch Corp has 5 schools, including 1 high, 2 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 4,456 students.
How much does South Madison Com Sch Corp spend per student?
South Madison Com Sch Corp spends $9,834 per student. The district has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #350 in Indiana.
What is the demographic composition of South Madison Com Sch Corp?
South Madison Com Sch Corp students are 84.5% White, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% African American, 1.4% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Madison Com Sch Corp?
South Madison Com Sch Corp has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #350 out of 373 districts in Indiana.