Enrollment
494
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180876002161
Bittersweet Elementary School — Mishawaka, IN
Federal NCES profile for Bittersweet Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 65
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp · Indiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
+47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bittersweet Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bittersweet Elementary School reports 494 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 47% above the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 48% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 52% below the Indiana average and 54% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp spends $12,050 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.8% from local sources (property taxes), 64.9% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bittersweet Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.6:1 | ▲ 47% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.0% | ▼ 52% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 494 | top 57% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
24.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 52% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.6:1
students per teacher
— 47% above state mean
Top 98% in Indiana — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,050
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 494 Top 57% in Indiana — larger than 43% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 23.6:1 +47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.0% -52% vs state
NCES ID 180876002161
Student demographics
White 80.4%
African American 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp, which includes Bittersweet Elementary School.
$12,050
Per student
-17%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 64.9%
Federal 9.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,687
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,041
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 941
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 679
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
Similar other schools in Mishawaka
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lasalle Elementary School
Standard public school
519 students 17:1 students per teacher
Beiger Elementary School
Standard public school
504 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Elm Road Elementary School
Standard public school
503 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Elsie Rogers Elementary School
Standard public school
361 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Oaklawn Campus Program
Special-education school
58 students 29:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bittersweet Elementary School
How many students attend Bittersweet Elementary School?
Bittersweet Elementary School has 494 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mishawaka, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bittersweet Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bittersweet Elementary School is 23.6:1, which is 47% higher than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bittersweet Elementary School?
24.0% of students at Bittersweet Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bittersweet Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bittersweet Elementary School is White at 80.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mishawaka, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bittersweet Elementary School?
Bittersweet Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.