Enrollment
628
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 181029001649
Clay High School — South Bend, IN
Federal NCES profile for Clay High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 62
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 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: South Bend Community 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)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.7%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clay High 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
Clay High School reports 628 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 66.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 41% 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 40% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% above the Indiana average and 21% above the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 171 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 74.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Bend Community School Corp spends $19,238 per pupil district-wide, above the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.2% from local sources (property taxes), 54.6% from the state, and 16.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 5 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 Clay High 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 41% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.7% | ▲ 27% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 628 | top 76% | — | — |
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
62.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
9.5:1
students per teacher
— 41% below state mean
Top 3% in Indiana — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
74.7%
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
$19,238
per pupil, district-wide
— above Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.7 FTE
Per 171 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 186 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 628 Top 76% in Indiana — larger than 24% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 66.0
Students per teacher 9.5:1 -41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.7% +27% vs state
NCES ID 181029001649
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.7
Students per counselor 171:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 74.7%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 186
Expulsions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Bend Community School Corp, which includes Clay High School.
$19,238
Per student
+32%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.2%
State 54.6%
Federal 16.3%
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
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,238
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
Similar high schools in South Bend
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Adams High School
Standard public school
1,966 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Riley High School
Standard public school
1,238 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Washington High School
Standard public school
795 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Career Academy High School
Standard public school
481 students 7.3:1 students per teacher
Excel Center - South Bend
Standard public school
296 students 18:1 students per teacher
Rise Up Academy at Eggleston
Standard public school
149 students 11.7:1 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 Clay High School
How many students attend Clay High School?
Clay High School has 628 students enrolled. It is a high school in South Bend, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clay High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clay High School is 9.5:1, which is 41% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 40% 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 Clay High School?
62.7% of students at Clay High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clay High School?
Clay High School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.