Clay International Academy

As a mid-tier K-5 school in South Bend, Indiana, Clay International Academy hosts 496 students from grades pre-K through 8, part of South Bend Community School Corp.

Clay International Academy is one of 29 schools operated by South Bend Community School Corp, a district that serves 13,585 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Clay International Academy lists that the most-represented group is Black (32%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest breaks down as 31% White, 18% Hispanic, 17% multiracial. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 13%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.5:1, putting Clay International Academy tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 63% of students at Clay International Academy qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, St. Joseph County runs at roughly 46%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Clay International Academy tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 30.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 17.1%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for St. Joseph County put the typical household earns roughly $66,868 per year, about 34% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Across St. Joseph County's 73 public schools (combined enrollment of about 35,614 students), Clay International Academy is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Darden Elementary School, roughly 0.9 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Clay International Academy. On composite proficiency, Clay International Academy comes 6th of 7 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 25.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Five-year trend. Clay International Academy's enrollment has climbed 15% since 2018, when it stood at 433 (now 496). White enrollment moved from 42% to 31% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 14.0:1 in 2018 to 12.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.