Enrollment
309
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 181029001661
Dickinson Fine Arts Academy — South Bend, IN
Federal NCES profile for Dickinson Fine Arts Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.0%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dickinson Fine Arts Academy 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
Dickinson Fine Arts Academy reports 309 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% above the Indiana average and 62% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 96.1% 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 36/100 (F), 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 Dickinson Fine Arts Academy 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.0% | ▲ 70% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 309 | top 24% | — | — |
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
84.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 51% in Indiana — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
96.1%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
95
in-school suspensions + 242 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 30.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 109.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 15 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 309 Top 24% in Indiana — larger than 76% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.0% +70% vs state
NCES ID 181029001661
Student demographics
African American 57.9%
Hispanic or Latino 24.9%
Two or More 9.7%
White 6.1%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 57.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 96.1%
In-school suspensions 95
Out-of-school suspensions 242
Expulsions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Bend Community School Corp, which includes Dickinson Fine Arts Academy.
$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
- 628
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
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
Career Academy Middle School
Standard public school
414 students 9:1 students per teacher
Navarre Middle School
Standard public school
378 students 10.8:1 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 Dickinson Fine Arts Academy
How many students attend Dickinson Fine Arts Academy?
Dickinson Fine Arts Academy has 309 students enrolled. It is a middle school in South Bend, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dickinson Fine Arts Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Dickinson Fine Arts Academy is 15.5:1, which is 4% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 3% 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 Dickinson Fine Arts Academy?
84.0% of students at Dickinson Fine Arts Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dickinson Fine Arts Academy?
The largest demographic group at Dickinson Fine Arts Academy is African American at 57.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Bend, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dickinson Fine Arts Academy?
Dickinson Fine Arts Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.