Summary:
Zip code 46601 in South Bend, Indiana contains two elementary schools, both serving grades K–5: Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy with 431 students, which is part of South Bend Community School Corp, and Success Academy at Boys and Girls Club with 113 students, which operates as its own district. Together they enroll 544 students, with Madison accounting for roughly 79% of that total.
Success Academy is the relative standout on current academics and attendance, though both schools fall below state proficiency in every reported grade-level subject for 2025–2026. Success Academy leads in all-grade math (20% vs 12.56%), all-grade science (26.32% vs 12.9%), 4th grade ELA (21.05% vs 4.84%), 4th grade math (42.11% vs 17.74%) and 5th grade social studies (23.81% vs 9.68%). Madison scored higher in 3rd grade ELA (6.58% vs 5%) and 3rd grade math (15.79% vs 10%), which suggests cohort effects rather than a uniform schoolwide advantage. With only 113 students, Success Academy's grade-level percentages can swing widely from year to year, so its year-over-year changes should be read cautiously, while Madison's larger enrollment makes its rates more stable.
Attendance is a major concern at both schools: Madison's chronic absenteeism is 45.9% and Success Academy's is 32.3%, compared with Indiana's 16.7%. Madison spends more per student ($15,040 vs $11,203) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (11.4 vs 16.1), yet its all-grade ELA fell from 21.26% to 6% between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, while Success Academy improved in math (13.79% to 20%) and science (9.52% to 26.32%). Madison also has a higher free/reduced lunch rate (80.28% vs 68.14%), so student context differs across the two. Rank trends reversed as well: Success Academy moved from the 2nd to the 13th percentile, and Madison from the 4th to the 2nd.
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