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Jefferson Traditional School

Public Grades 6-8

437^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 486 Indiana Middle Schools

Better than 10% of Indiana middle schools

Summary

Jefferson Traditional School is a grade 6–8 middle school at 528 S Eddy St in South Bend, Indiana, serving 591 students — the largest enrollment of any South Bend Community School Corp middle school in this comparison set — with 59.39% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and per-student spending of $13,480.

Jefferson ranks 437th of 486 Indiana middle schools — the 10th percentile, 1 star — and its standing has slipped steadily, from the 26th percentile in 2018-19 to 10 percent today, and it has never earned more than 1 star. Chronic absenteeism is a bigger concern: after improving to 32.6% in 2023-24, it jumped to 45.8% in 2024-25, nearly three times the state rate. In that same year the student-to-teacher ratio rose from 11.5:1 to 15.9:1, and the school fell below its district in English/language arts, math, and science for the first time in the reported record. Proficiency now stands at 15.55% in ELA, 10.17% in math, and 15.71% in science. Math is flat at about 10% in all three grades — a sign of a systemic issue rather than one weak group — while 8th-grade ELA, at 23.78%, is the school's one result near district norms.

Among nearby schools, the contrast is stark. LaSalle Academy, also in South Bend Community School Corp and about three miles away, sits at the 93rd percentile with 5 stars and posts 70.75% ELA and 51.89% math, with 11.3% absenteeism. Discovery Middle School and Schmucker Middle School in Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp rank among the state's top performers while spending $10,506 and $9,959 per student — less than Jefferson's $13,480. Career Academy Middle School, the closest match on free/reduced lunch, edges Jefferson in ELA and math at $3,773 less per student. Within the same district, Jefferson leads Navarre Middle School, Dickinson Academy, and Jackson Middle School in all subjects, but 15.55% ELA still means roughly 85–90% of students are not proficient.

591

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,562

Per pupil spending ?

59.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

528 S Eddy St
South Bend, IN 46617

(574) 393-4100

District: South Bend Community School Corp

Students who attend Jefferson Traditional School usually attend:

High:	Adams High School
	Rise Up Academy at Eggleston

Feeder schools for Jefferson Traditional School:

Elementary:

Nuner Fine Arts Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.0%

White:

26.4%

Hispanic:

17.6%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare Jefferson Traditional School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 16th percentile in 2016 → 10th in 2026

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 15% Indiana)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg19%

437^th of 486

Indiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the South Bend Community School Corp

320^th of 374South 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
2026	12.2	437 of 486	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	416 of 480	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	395 of 491	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	388 of 489	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	381 of 490	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	387 of 483	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	349 of 470	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	375 of 473	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.6	398 of 472	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.7	415 of 494	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.5	391 of 485	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.2	379 of 470	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.6	343 of 444	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	25.3	383 of 447	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.9	395 of 451	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	11.5	404 of 428	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.5	386 of 423	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	11.7	363 of 392	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	8.0	365 of 382	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.9	353 of 375	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	8.3	353 of 370	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.5	202 of 222	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2025-2026) ?

Science16%

English Language Arts16%

Math10%

★

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Schools Near Jefferson Traditional School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2026)					ILEARN Math (2026)					ILEARN Science (2026)		ILEARN Social Studies (2026)	ILEARN Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jefferson Traditional School	Public	6-8	528 S Eddy St	South Bend	46617	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-4100	591	37	15.9	59.4%	156 (26.4%)	248 (42.0%)	104 (17.6%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (13.2%)	12.2	437^th of 486 public middle schools	10.1%		13.3	416^th of 480 public middle schools	13.3%	21		12.7	9.6	23.8	15.6		9.9	10.2	10.4	10.2	15.7	15.7			$13,562	$1,483	$12,079
John J Young Middle School	Public	7-8	1801 N Main St	Mishawaka	46545	St. Joseph County	School City of Mishawaka	No	No	No	No	(574) 254-3600	709	50	14.1	29.2%	441 (62.2%)	112 (15.8%)	75 (10.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (11.1%)	31.8	340^th of 486 public middle schools	30.0%		30	341^st of 480 public middle schools	29.0%	1			28.5	32.7	30.4			23.8	16.1	20.2					$13,947	$383	$13,564
LaSalle Academy	Public	6-8	2701 W Elwood	South Bend	46628	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-4700	461	34	13.7	41.6%	190 (41.2%)	114 (24.7%)	109 (23.6%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (8.7%)	89.7	35^th of 486 public middle schools	92.8%		94.9	16^th of 480 public middle schools	96.7%	19		67.4	67.5	78.6	70.8		58.5	37.4	63.5	51.9	59.3	59.3			$15,921	$1,416	$14,505
Jackson Middle School	Public	6-8	5001 S Miami Rd	South Bend	46614	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-4500	537	45	12.0	72.3%	81 (15.1%)	238 (44.3%)	153 (28.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (11.5%)	5.1	477^th of 486 public middle schools	1.9%		5.2	473^rd of 480 public middle schools	1.5%	4		8.1	8.9	7.1	8.0		2.4	1.9	1.4	1.9	8.1	8.1			$15,591	$2,434	$13,158
Navarre Middle School	Public	6-8	4702 W Ford St	South Bend	46619	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(574) 393-4600	378	40	9.3	79.4%	29 (7.7%)	139 (36.8%)	183 (48.4%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (6.1%)	4.7	479^th of 486 public middle schools	1.4%		4.3	477^th of 480 public middle schools	0.6%	2		5.4	4.0	8.4	6.0		4.6	2.0	2.9	3.2	3.9	3.9			$18,621	$2,496	$16,125
Dickinson Academy	Public	5-8	4404 Elwood	South Bend	46628	St. Joseph County	South Bend Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 393-3900	309	36	8.6	75.4%	19 (6.1%)	179 (57.9%)	77 (24.9%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.7%)	7.5	462^nd of 486 public middle schools	4.9%		6.7	465^th of 480 public middle schools	3.1%	3	0.0	9.6	6.1	9.5	7.2	2.0	12.5	6.2	3.8	6.3	12.2	12.2	2.0		$19,697	$1,844	$17,853
Schmucker Middle School	Public	6-8	56045 Bittersweet Rd	Mishawaka	46545	St. Joseph County	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 259-5661	1,041	56	18.7	40.1%	702 (67.4%)	99 (9.5%)	114 (11.0%)	46 (4.4%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (7.2%)	89.7	36^th of 486 public middle schools	92.6%		86.2	52^nd of 480 public middle schools	89.2%	16		60.9	57.6	66.5	61.6		53.2	52.4	54.9	53.5	56.6	56.6			$10,779	$590	$10,189
Career Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3801 Cresent Circle - Suite B	South Bend	46628	St. Joseph County	Career Academy Middle School	Yes	No	No	No	(574) 299-9800	414	50	8.2	60.1%	141 (34.1%)	169 (40.8%)	62 (15.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	38 (9.2%)	16.4	408^th of 486 public middle schools	16.0%		18.3	391^st of 480 public middle schools	18.5%	17		9.9	24.0	23.0	19.3		9.9	16.0	16.9	14.4	12.1	12.1		92.3	$13,878	$3,611	$10,267
Virgil I Grissom Middle School	Public	6-8	13881 Kern Rd	Mishawaka	46544	St. Joseph County	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 633-4061	662	43	15.5	50.6%	450 (68.0%)	58 (8.8%)	81 (12.2%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	63 (9.5%)	71.3	129^th of 486 public middle schools	73.5%		71.3	120^th of 480 public middle schools	75.0%	9		47.1	51.0	58.7	52.6		38.4	37.5	36.9	37.6	44.2	44.2			$12,683	$957	$11,725
Discovery Middle School	Public	6-8	10050 Brummitt Rd	Granger	46530	St. Joseph County	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	No	No	No	No	(574) 674-6010	941	46	20.6	19.4%	678 (72.1%)	29 (3.1%)	64 (6.8%)	106 (11.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (6.6%)	98.3	3^rd of 486 public middle schools	99.4%		98.2	3^rd of 480 public middle schools	99.4%			76.1	75.2	84.3	78.5		66.7	66.9	75.6	69.7	75.5	75.5			$10,880	$725	$10,155

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Traditional School

What district is Jefferson Traditional School in?

South Bend Community School Corp

What high school do graduates of Jefferson Traditional School attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Traditional School usually go on to attend Adams High School

How many students attend Jefferson Traditional School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 591 students attended Jefferson Traditional School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Traditional School?

Students at Jefferson Traditional School are 42% African American, 26% White, 18% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races.

Is Jefferson Traditional School a good school?

Jefferson Traditional School ranks in the bottom 10.1% of Indiana middle schools.

Rate Jefferson Traditional School!

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Latest Indiana data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 28, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 28, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2023–24 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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.