Summary
Clay International Academy is a PK–8 school in South Bend, IN, serving 496 students in the South Bend Community School Corp, a district ranked 320th of 374 Indiana districts. Clay has been a 1-star, bottom-quartile school in every available year, ranking at the 13th percentile in 2025–26 and never rising above the 23rd percentile. Its 2025–26 all-grade proficiency was 17.4% in ELA, 12.39% in Math, and 18.02% in Science, all below district averages.
Math is the clearest academic weakness: 12.39% all-grade proficiency is about 6 points below the district, and 3rd and 4th grade Math are especially low at 9.09% and 5.88%. ELA has declined from 25.58% in 2023–24 to 17.4% in 2025–26, and Science has slipped from a relative strength to below district. A bright spot is 6th grade, which exceeded district averages in ELA, Math, and Science. Nearby, Swanson Traditional School (79th percentile, 4 stars) and Kennedy Academy (72nd percentile, 4 stars) show what is possible in the same district. Clay outperforms Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy (2nd percentile, 0 stars), Muessel Elementary School (0th percentile, 0 stars), and Edison Middle School (7th percentile, 0 stars), and is similar to Darden Elementary School (14th percentile) in ELA.
Attendance is a relative strength: chronic absenteeism was 24.5% in 2024–25, much lower than the district’s 40.3% and lower than most nearby schools, though it has risen from 11.5% in 2022–23. Clay’s free/reduced lunch rate is 63.1%, moderate-high but not the highest nearby. Spending ($14,814 per student) and a 12.7 student–teacher ratio are not obviously worse than nearby higher performers, so resources alone do not explain the gaps. Overall, Clay is a 1-star school in the lower-middle of a largely low-performing local cluster, with distance from top local schools but advantages over Madison, Muessel, and Edison. Improvement will likely require targeted early-grade and middle-grade math, literacy, and continued attention to attendance.
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