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Darden Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

867^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

Darden Elementary School is a public elementary school located in South Bend, Indiana, serving 465 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the South Bend Community School Corporation, which is ranked 310 out of 380 school districts in Indiana and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Darden Elementary School consistently underperforms compared to the South Bend Community School Corporation and the state of Indiana in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 21.68% of Darden students were proficient or better in ILEARN/English Language Arts, compared to 22.21% for the district and 40.3% for the state in 3rd grade. Similarly, in ILEARN/Math, only 18.88% of Darden students were proficient or better, compared to 18.82% for the district and 51.5% for the state in 3rd grade. Darden Elementary School also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.8% to 39.4% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing Darden Elementary School to other nearby schools within the same district, such as Marquette Montessori Academy and Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy, Darden consistently underperforms in academic measures, with lower test scores and higher chronic absenteeism rates. Darden's performance is also significantly lower than schools in the neighboring Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, such as Walt Disney Elementary School and Prairie Vista Elementary School, which consistently outperform Darden across all academic measures.

375

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,620

Per pupil spending ?

53.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

18645 Janet St
South Bend, IN 46637

(574) 243-7335

District: South Bend Community School Corp

Students who attend Darden Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	LaSalle Academy
High:	Clay High School
	Rise Up Academy at Eggleston

Racial breakdown:

White:

37.9%

African American:

31.7%

Two or more races:

15.2%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare Darden Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 13th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Indiana average (19% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 17% Indiana)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg21%

Indiana avg38%

867^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 16Elementary Schools in the South Bend Community School Corp

310^th of 380South Bend Community School Corp among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	867 of 1005	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	899 of 1011	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	905 of 1016	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	865 of 1020	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	921 of 1016	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	932 of 1031	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	872 of 1027	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.5	885 of 1033	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.3	912 of 1046	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.4	903 of 1040	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	45.1	690 of 1036	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.0	807 of 1035	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.4	840 of 1015	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	40.8	737 of 1025	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.2	793 of 1009	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.5	840 of 1003	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	41.2	700 of 996	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.3	747 of 985	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	35.0	713 of 961	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.5	803 of 959	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Science24%

English Language Arts22%

Math19%

Social Studies7%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Darden Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)							ILEARN Math (2025)							ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Darden Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	18645 Janet St	South Bend	46637	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 243-7335	375	30	12.3	53.3%	142 (37.9%)	119 (31.7%)	43 (11.5%)	13 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (15.2%)	14.3	867^th of 1005 public elementary schools	13.7%		13.2	899^th of 1011 public elementary schools	11.1%	32	24.1	22.2	18.2				21.7	22.2	20.0	13.6				18.9	24.4		24.4	6.8	$16,620	$3,741	$12,880
Clay International Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	52900 Lily Rd	South Bend	46637	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-4300	496	39	12.7	63.1%	154 (31.0%)	158 (31.9%)	90 (18.1%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (17.1%)	14	874^th of 1005 public elementary schools	13.0%		18.3	832^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	17.7%	42	11.9	25.6	19.2	20.6	21.3	28.6	21.8	7.0	28.2	7.7	13.4	13.2	7.9	12.2	21.1	23.8	22.8	9.8	$14,814	$2,779	$12,034
Swanson Traditional School	Public	PK, KG-5	17677 Parker Dr	South Bend	46635	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-2700	399	29	13.9	33.6%	246 (61.7%)	54 (13.5%)	38 (9.5%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (14.0%)	87.5	116^th of 1005 public elementary schools	88.5%		87.2	104^th of 1011 public elementary schools	89.7%	12	57.5	59.7	56.6				57.9	74.0	73.7	67.9				72.1	52.6		52.6	61.5	$14,467	$3,364	$11,103
Paramount School of Excellence South Bend	Public, Charter	K-7	3414 Hepler Street	South Bend	46635	St. Joseph County	Paramount School of Excellence South Bend	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(317) 519-4588	476	28	17.0	75.4%	73 (15.3%)	286 (60.1%)	52 (10.9%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (12.6%)	16.9	844^th of 1005 public elementary schools	16.0%		18.7	829^th of 1011 public elementary schools	18.0%	15	24.5	29.6	15.4	18.0	35.5		23.5	26.5	24.1	5.8	29.5	23.3		22.0	22.2	11.7	16.7	7.7	$11,824	$966	$10,858
Edison Middle School	Public	K-8	2701 Eisenhower Dr	South Bend	46615	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-4400	551	53	10.3	67.0%	72 (13.1%)	136 (24.7%)	285 (51.7%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (8.7%)								(n/a)	7.3	17.0	7.6	13.3	16.5	11.8	12.7	25.5	13.7	7.6	4.0	12.4	0.0	10.0	23.5	13.3	17.5	11.3	$18,228	$3,307	$14,921
Marquette Montessori Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	1818 Bergan St	South Bend	46628	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	Yes	No	Yes	(574) 393-2400	431	28	15.6	50.1%	168 (39.0%)	143 (33.2%)	47 (10.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (16.2%)	32	709^th of 1005 public elementary schools	29.5%		21.8	791^st of 1011 public elementary schools	21.8%	82	30.8	35.9	35.3	33.3	25.9		32.5	30.8	20.5	17.7	25.0	15.4		22.2	23.1	45.8	31.8	29.4	$15,572	$3,767	$11,806
Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy	Public	K-5	832 N Lafayette Blvd	South Bend	46601	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 393-3200	431	38	11.4	80.3%	48 (11.1%)	197 (45.7%)	135 (31.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.4%)	12.9	886^th of 1005 public elementary schools	11.8%		7	970^th of 1011 public elementary schools	4.1%	84	25.4	16.4	21.5				21.3	23.9	16.7	8.9				16.0	18.0		18.0	10.1	$15,040	$3,815	$11,226
Prairie Vista Elementary School	Public	K-5	15400 Brick Rd	Granger	46530	St. Joseph County	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 271-0055	513	30	17.3	21.1%	363 (70.8%)	32 (6.2%)	36 (7.0%)	42 (8.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.0%)	98.3	6^th of 1005 public elementary schools	99.4%		98.7	2^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	99.8%	4	78.0	83.5	82.6				81.3	83.5	90.6	73.3				82.4	87.1		87.1	88.4	$10,136	$296	$9,840
Muessel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1021 Blaine St	South Bend	46628	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 393-3400	295	25	11.5	68.8%	43 (14.6%)	181 (61.4%)	34 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (12.2%)	3.7	999^th of 1005 public elementary schools	0.6%		4.1	1007^th of 1011 public elementary schools	0.4%	8	9.3	6.3	8.6				8.0	5.7	4.2	0.0				3.7	6.3		6.3	2.9	$17,264	$5,814	$11,450
McKinley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	228 N Greenlawn Ave	South Bend	46617	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 393-3300	315	16	20.1	1.9%	92 (29.2%)	104 (33.0%)	72 (22.9%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (13.0%)								(n/a)																			$14,476	$3,329	$11,147

Frequently Asked Questions about Darden Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Darden Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Darden Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : LaSalle Academy
High : Clay High School
High : Rise Up Academy at Eggleston

What district is Darden Elementary School in?

South Bend Community School Corp

How many students attend Darden Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 375 students attended Darden Elementary School.

Is Darden Elementary School a good school?

Darden Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.7% of Indiana elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Darden Elementary School?

Students at Darden Elementary School are 38% White, 32% African American, 15% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 3% Asian.

Rate Darden Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.