Can I use St. Joseph County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the St. Joseph County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in St. Joseph County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in St. Joseph County?

Start with the 68 listed public schools and 11 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

St. Joseph County Schools & Education

Name: St. Joseph County, Indiana Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

St. Joseph County, Indiana

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

20/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

87.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

87.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 92.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$5,571

National avg $13,239

State avg $5,507

School Score

20/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 39/100

State Score Position

#86

of 92 counties by score

Education Data Brief: St. Joseph County

Measured School Summary

St. Joseph County faces educational challenges with a school score of 20/100 and a graduation rate of 87.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $5,571 per pupil, St. Joseph County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 49% below the Indiana average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 5.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 1% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read St. Joseph County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

68 public schools and 11 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

20/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #86 of 92 Indiana counties with school score data.

Completion

87.0%

5.6 pts below the state average

Funding context

$5,571

$64 above the state average

School coverage

11 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

St. Joseph County has 68 public schools across 11 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What St. Joseph County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Large multi-district county

St. Joseph County has many school records across many districts. County averages are only the opening screen; neighborhood-level assignment and grade-band fit matter more here.

State position

#86

of 92 Indiana counties with school score data. The county score is 19 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

South Bend Community School Corp

Elementary to high school visible

15,301 students

Elementary 16Middle 6High 5Other 4

31 listed schools in this county slice.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Elementary to high school visible

11,360 students

Elementary 11Middle 3High 1Other 0

15 listed schools in this county slice.

School City of Mishawaka

Elementary to high school visible

5,128 students

Elementary 7Middle 1High 1Other 1

10 listed schools in this county slice.

John Glenn School Corporation

Elementary to high school visible

2,012 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

South Bend Community School Corp is the largest listed district slice, with 31 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in St. Joseph County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different St. Joseph County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in St. Joseph County, Indiana

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Vast Educational Infrastructure in St. Joseph

St. Joseph County supports a massive student population of 36,602 enrolled across 68 public schools. The system is distributed among 11 districts and includes 38 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 12 high schools.

South Bend and Penn-Harris-Madison Lead

South Bend Community School Corporation is the largest district with 15,301 students, followed by Penn-Harris-Madison at 11,360. The county also offers school choice through five charter schools, which make up roughly 7% of total campuses.

Diverse Urban and Suburban Campus Mix

The county offers a diverse locale mix with 41 city schools and 15 suburban sites. Penn High School is the largest campus by far with 3,624 students, while many elementary schools provide a more traditional, smaller feel.

School Overview

Total Schools

in St. Joseph County

Reported Enrollment

36,602

68 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

7% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary38

Middle12

High12

Other6

11 School Districts in St. Joseph County

South Bend Community School Corp

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

School City of Mishawaka

John Glenn School Corporation

4 schools

2,012 students

Union-North United School Corp

2 schools

1,228 students

Success Academy Primary School

1 school

604 students

Career Academy High School

1 school

431 students

Career Academy Middle School

1 school

394 students

Excel Center - South Bend

1 school

180 students

Purdue Polytechnic High School South Bend

1 school

141 students

68 Public Schools in St. Joseph County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 5 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 20 of 68 matching schools

Public schools in St. Joseph County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Penn High School	Profile	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Mishawaka, 46545Suburb: Large	9–12	High	3,624
Adams High School	Profile	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46615City: Midsize	9–12	High	1,976
Mishawaka High School	Profile	School City of Mishawaka	Mishawaka, 46544City: Small	9–12	High	1,488
Schmucker Middle School	Profile	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Mishawaka, 46545Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	1,004
Riley High School	Profile	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46613City: Midsize	9–12	High	992
Discovery Middle School	Record	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Granger, 46530Suburb: Large	6–8	Middle	848
Washington High School	Record	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46619City: Midsize	9–12	High	834
John J Young Middle School	Record	School City of Mishawaka	Mishawaka, 46545City: Small	7–8	Middle	735
Horizon Elementary School	Record	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Granger, 46530Suburb: Large	PK–5	Primary	691
Virgil I Grissom Middle School	Record	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Mishawaka, 46544Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	678
Harrison Elementary School	Record	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46619City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	654
Clay High School	Record	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46637Suburb: Large	9–12	High	628
John Glenn High School	Record	John Glenn School Corporation	Walkerton, 46574Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	625
Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy	Record	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46601City: Midsize	KG–5	Primary	618
Northpoint Elementary School	Record	Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Granger, 46530Suburb: Large	KG–5	Primary	614
Success Academy Primary School	Record	Success Academy Primary School	South Bend, 46628City: Midsize	KG–5	Charter	604
Walkerton Elementary School	Record	John Glenn School Corporation	Walkerton, 46574Town: Distant	PK–6	Primary	591
LaVille Jr-Sr High School	Record	Union-North United School Corp	Lakeville, 46536Rural: Distant	7–12	High	574
Clay International Academy	Record	South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend, 46637Suburb: Large	PK–8	Primary	571
Beiger Elementary School	Record	School City of Mishawaka	Mishawaka, 46544City: Small	PK–6	Primary	546

Penn High School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Mishawaka, 46545 / Suburb: Large

Profile9–12High3,624 students

Adams High School

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46615 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High1,976 students

Mishawaka High School

School City of Mishawaka

Mishawaka, 46544 / City: Small

Profile9–12High1,488 students

Schmucker Middle School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Mishawaka, 46545 / Suburb: Large

Profile6–8Middle1,004 students

Riley High School

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46613 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High992 students

Discovery Middle School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Granger, 46530 / Suburb: Large

Record6–8Middle848 students

Washington High School

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46619 / City: Midsize

Record9–12High834 students

John J Young Middle School

School City of Mishawaka

Mishawaka, 46545 / City: Small

Record7–8Middle735 students

Horizon Elementary School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Granger, 46530 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–5Primary691 students

Virgil I Grissom Middle School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Mishawaka, 46544 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle678 students

Harrison Elementary School

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46619 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary654 students

Clay High School

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46637 / Suburb: Large

Record9–12High628 students

John Glenn High School

John Glenn School Corporation

Walkerton, 46574 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High625 students

Madison S.T.E.A.M. Academy

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46601 / City: Midsize

RecordKG–5Primary618 students

Northpoint Elementary School

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp

Granger, 46530 / Suburb: Large

RecordKG–5Primary614 students

Success Academy Primary School

South Bend, 46628 / City: Midsize

RecordKG–5Charter604 students

Walkerton Elementary School

John Glenn School Corporation

Walkerton, 46574 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary591 students

LaVille Jr-Sr High School

Union-North United School Corp

Lakeville, 46536 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High574 students

Clay International Academy

South Bend Community School Corp

South Bend, 46637 / Suburb: Large

RecordPK–8Primary571 students

Beiger Elementary School

School City of Mishawaka

Mishawaka, 46544 / City: Small

RecordPK–6Primary546 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$5,571

State avg $5,507

Compare Nearby Counties

Review St. Joseph County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Indiana counties have the highest graduation rates?

Boone County (97.5%), Benton County (97.0%), and Brown County (97.0%) currently lead Indiana among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Indiana?

Across Indiana counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $5,507. The highest current county values are Ohio County ($6,794), DeKalb County ($6,730), and Vigo County ($6,496). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in St. Joseph County?

St. Joseph County has a school score of 20/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in St. Joseph County?

The high school graduation rate in St. Joseph County is 87.0%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does St. Joseph County spend per student?

St. Joseph County spends $5,571 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in St. Joseph County, Indiana — FAQ

What does the school system look like in St. Joseph County, Indiana?

What are the major school districts in St. Joseph County, Indiana?

What is the school experience like in St. Joseph County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Marion County

Indiana

+0 pts

20/100

School score

Bartholomew County

Indiana

+0 pts

20/100

School score

Vanderburgh County

Indiana

-2 pts

18/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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