Summary:
ZIP code 46601 in downtown South Bend is served by three public schools — two elementary schools (K–5) and one high school (9–12), with no middle school — enrolling 682 students combined, in a community where 62% to 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch and chronic absenteeism runs two to three times the state rate.
All three schools rank in the bottom third of Indiana, but they differ sharply. Purdue Polytechnic High School South Bend has the strongest profile: 32nd percentile, the ZIP's only 2-star rating, an 80% graduation rate, the lowest poverty rate (61.59%), and the smallest classes (9.8 students per teacher) — though it also has the highest absenteeism (58.3%). Success Academy at Boys and Girls Club is the standout improver, climbing from the 2nd to the 13th percentile over three years, with the best attendance (32.3%) and the ZIP's highest elementary results, including 4th grade Math at 42.11%. Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy, part of South Bend Community School Corp, is the largest school (431 students) and spends the most per student ($15,040) with the smallest elementary classes (11.4), yet it has the lowest English/language arts proficiency (6%) and just posted its worst ranking in three years.
Two patterns stand out for families. First, reading is the weakest area across the board: elementary ELA proficiency ranges from about 5% to 21% against state figures of roughly 41% to 42%. Second, the two elementaries are moving in opposite directions — Success Academy gained 16.8 points in Science and 23.8 points in 5th grade Social Studies, while Madison's ELA fell 15.3 points. At the high school, SAT reading doubled to 46.15% (state: 51.9%), but SAT Math remains the ZIP's biggest gap at 7.69% (state: 25.6%). Note that the two smaller schools have very small grade-level cohorts, so single-year figures can swing widely; three-year trends are more reliable.
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