Enrollment
730
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pendleton, IN
Pendleton Heights Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Pendleton Heights Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 181044001712
👥 S:T ratio 21
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pendleton Heights Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Indiana schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Pendleton · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.7:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 31.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pendleton Heights Middle School has class sizes larger than 90% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pendleton Heights Middle School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Pendleton, IN.
School address
District: South Madison Com Sch Corp · Indiana
NCES ID 181044001712 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.7:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.5%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pendleton Heights Middle School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pendleton Heights Middle School
Pendleton Heights Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Pendleton, Indiana, enrolling 730 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.7:1 is larger than about 90% of Indiana schools and 24% above the 15.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 730 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Among 391 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #339, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 730 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
South Madison Com Sch Corp also operates Pendleton Heights High School (1,502 students) and Pendleton Elementary School (893 students) alongside Pendleton Heights Middle School.
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 Pendleton Heights Middle School compares
Pendleton Heights 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 | 19.7:1 | ▲ 24% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.5% | ▼ 36% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 730 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.7:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
730
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
19.7:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 90% in Indiana - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,834
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 730 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 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
White 83.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 3.2%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 83.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.0, Pendleton Heights Middle School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Madison Com Sch Corp, which includes Pendleton Heights Middle School.
$9,834
Per student
-19%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.6%
State 65.9%
Federal 7.5%
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.
How Pendleton Heights Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pendleton Heights High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pendleton Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Maple Ridge Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pendleton Heights Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,502
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 893
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 858
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~730 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pendleton Heights Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Pendleton Heights Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- South Madison Com Sch Corp'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 Pendleton Heights Middle School
How many students attend Pendleton Heights Middle School?
Pendleton Heights Middle School has 730 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pendleton, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pendleton Heights Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pendleton Heights Middle School is 19.7:1, which is 24% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pendleton Heights Middle School?
31.5% of students at Pendleton Heights Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pendleton Heights Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Pendleton Heights Middle School is White at 83.8% of enrollment, in Pendleton, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pendleton Heights Middle School?
Pendleton Heights Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Pendleton Heights Middle School rank among public schools in Pendleton?
By Resource Investment Index, Pendleton Heights Middle School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Pendleton, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Pendleton on the city page.
Is Pendleton Heights Middle School a good school?
Pendleton Heights Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of 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 South Madison Com Sch Corp?
Besides Pendleton Heights Middle School, South Madison Com Sch Corp also operates Pendleton Heights High School (1,502 students), Pendleton Elementary School (893 students), and Maple Ridge Elementary School (858 students). See the South Madison Com Sch Corp district page for the complete list.
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.