Enrollment
414
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180016402593 Charter school
Career Academy Middle School — South Bend, IN
Federal NCES profile for Career Academy Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 0
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: Career Academy Middle School · 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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-44% 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
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
Career Academy Middle School reports 414 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 44% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 43% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Indiana average and 29% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 337 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Career Academy Middle School spends $11,468 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.5% from local sources (property taxes), 77.8% from the state, and 4.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Career Academy Middle 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 | 9:1 | ▼ 44% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.0% | ▲ 35% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 414 | top 43% | — | — |
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
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
9:1
students per teacher
— 44% below state mean
Top 2% in Indiana — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
42.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,468
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
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
Enrollment 414 Top 43% in Indiana — larger than 57% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 9:1 -44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 180016402593
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.2
Students per counselor 337:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.5%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Career Academy Middle School, which includes Career Academy Middle School.
$11,468
Per student
-21%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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 13.6:1 students per teacher
Edison Middle School
Standard public school
551 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Jackson Middle School
Standard public school
537 students 16:1 students per teacher
Lasalle Academy
Standard public school
461 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Navarre Middle School
Standard public school
378 students 10.8:1 students per teacher
Dickinson Fine Arts Academy
Standard public school
309 students 15.5:1 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 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 9:1, which is 44% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 43% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Bend, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Career Academy Middle School?
Career Academy Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.