Enrollment
414
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · South Bend, IN
Career Academy Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Career Academy Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 180016402593Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Career Academy Middle School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #4 of 7
- middle schools in South Bend · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 67.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Career Academy Middle School has class sizes smaller than 96% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Career Academy Middle School ranks #4 of 7 middle schools in South Bend, IN.
School address
District: Career Academy Middle School · Indiana
NCES ID 180016402593 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Career Academy Middle School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Career Academy Middle School
Career Academy Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized charter middle school in South Bend, Indiana, enrolling 414 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.4:1, Career Academy Middle School is leaner than roughly 96% of Indiana schools and 41% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 414 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 384 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #190.
Its student body is led by African American (41%) and White (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 337 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among South Bend's middle schools, it stands alongside Jefferson Traditional School (591 students): Career Academy Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.4:1 vs 15.6:1).
Career Academy Middle School is a single-school charter district, so Career Academy Middle School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Career Academy Middle School compares
Career Academy Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 41% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.0% | ▲ 35% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 414 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
414
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 4% in Indiana - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
42.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,450
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 337 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 40.8%
White 34.1%
Hispanic or Latino 15.0%
Two or More 9.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 40.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.6, Career Academy Middle School is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Career Academy Middle School, which includes Career Academy Middle School.
$11,450
Per student
-5%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.5%
State 77.8%
Federal 4.7%
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.
Similar middle schools in South Bend
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Jefferson Traditional School
Standard public school
591 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Edison Middle School
Standard public school
551 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Jackson Middle School
Standard public school
537 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Lasalle Academy
Standard public school
461 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Navarre Middle School
Standard public school
378 students 7.9:1 students per teacher
Dickinson Fine Arts Academy
Standard public school
309 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~414 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Career Academy Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Career Academy Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Career Academy Middle School's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Career Academy Middle School
How many students attend Career Academy Middle School?
Career Academy Middle School has 414 students enrolled. It is a middle school in South Bend, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Career Academy Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Career Academy Middle School is 9.4:1, which is 41% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 40% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Career Academy Middle School?
67.0% of students at Career Academy Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Career Academy Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Career Academy Middle School is African American at 40.8% of enrollment, in South Bend, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Career Academy Middle School?
Career Academy Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Career Academy Middle School rank among middle schools in South Bend?
By Resource Investment Index, Career Academy Middle School ranks #4 of 7 middle schools in South Bend, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in South Bend on the city page.
Is Career Academy Middle School a good school?
Career Academy Middle School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Career Academy Middle School?
None; Career Academy Middle School is a single-school charter district, and Career Academy Middle School is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.