Penn-harris-madison School Corp, IN

Original Research by School Decision on Penn-harris-madison School Corp

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp is one of the larger districts in St. Joseph County, covering a broad stretch of northern Indiana that includes parts of Mishawaka, Granger, Osceola, and smaller communities such as Wakarusa and Bremen. The district serves prekindergarten through twelfth grade and draws from a mix of suburban neighborhoods, small towns, and rural-adjacent areas. A parent looking at this district will find it has a straightforward structure: nearly a score of schools, the majority of them elementary, feeding into three middle schools and one comprehensive high school, Penn High School.

On state assessments, the district’s students as a whole perform above what is typical across the county. Its overall proficiency index—a combined measure across math, English language arts, science, and social studies for tested grades—lands the district in the top quartile among St. Joseph County’s districts. In math, about six in ten students scored proficient or above, and in English language arts the figure was close behind. Science proficiency was similar, and social studies results in grade five were in the same range. While the numbers are solid, they leave room for growth: roughly four in ten students across subjects did not reach the proficient bar, something a parent might want to ask about in terms of intervention and support for students at that level.

Chronic absenteeism, which tends to be a more telling indicator of school climate than simple attendance, is relatively low. The district again sits in the top quartile among county districts on this measure, which suggests that most students are consistently in class. A low chronic absenteeism rate often correlates with stronger engagement and fewer disruptions, though the data does not allow us to see whether this holds equally across all of the district's schools.

The district’s enrollment is diverse in some ways and notably less so in others. A substantial majority of students are white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The district does not report free or reduced-price lunch data, nor does it report the share of students with IEPs or English learners in the available data, so a parent would need to ask the district directly about the level of economic disadvantage or the supports for students with special needs. Given the lack of those figures, it is hard to assess the district’s resource allocation or the intensity of need among its student body.

Per-pupil spending is in the middle range among county districts but on the lower side of that middle. The district spends less per student than several of its neighbors. This is not, by itself, a judgment on quality, but it does mean that parents may want to understand how the district prioritizes its budget—whether for class size, technology, facilities, or programming—and whether that fits their expectations.

Housing across the district varies considerably. Home values range from more modest levels in parts of Mishawaka and South Bend to significantly higher levels in Granger, which is a more affluent suburb. Rents follow a similar pattern, with Granger notably higher. The overall weighted home value across the district’s eight ZIP codes sits a bit above the statewide median, and values have been rising at a modest pace. The area is not an especially high-cost market relative to national averages, and the estimated rent-to-income ratio suggests housing is within reach for many families, though the range means that a family's experience of affordability will depend heavily on exactly where they live within the district's boundaries.

The district’s brief yielded no recent parent-relevant changes to report. No referendums, major curriculum shifts, or boundary adjustments were found in the search. That may simply mean the district has been stable in recent terms, or that changes were not captured in the sources searched. A parent moving into the area would want to check the district website and local news for any upcoming referendums or facility plans.

In sum, Penn-Harris-Madison is a district that performs above the county average on academics and attendance, operates on a moderate budget, and serves a geographically and economically varied set of communities. It offers a conventional public school structure with one large high school and a network of neighborhood elementary and middle schools. The missing information on student economic need and special education counts is a notable gap for any family weighing how well the district can support their child, particularly if that child requires additional services. Otherwise, the district presents as a solid, broadly middle-to-upper-performing option within its region.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

11,538

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 9%

Black 8%

White 70%

Asian 6%

Two+ 7%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

46%

68%

Gr 4

34%

68%

Gr 5

45%

73%

Gr 6

38%

67%

Gr 7

36%

66%

Gr 8

45%

73%

Math

Gr 3

55%

80%

Gr 4

44%

77%

Gr 5

47%

74%

Gr 6

31%

63%

Gr 7

39%

66%

Gr 8

43%

73%

Science

Gr 4

38%

72%

Gr 6

39%

69%

Social studies

Gr 5

35%

72%

Schools in this District

15 schools are officially reported under this district.

Horizon Elementary School

Discovery Middle School

Meadow's Edge Elementary School

Northpoint Elementary School

Elm Road Elementary School

Elsie Rogers Elementary School

Madison Elementary School

Mary Frank Harris Elementary Sch

Moran Elementary School

Penn High School

Schmucker Middle School

Virgil I Grissom Middle School

Walt Disney Elementary School

Bittersweet Elementary School

Prairie Vista Elementary School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

1 grade reported

62%

Grades 3-8

English Language Arts

1 grade reported

59%

Grades 3-8

Science

1 grade reported

59%

Grades 3-8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

60%

Grade 5

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$274,670

Year-over-year change+4.7%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$207K to $415K

vs. state typical1.07x

vs. national typical0.75x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
46544	Mishawaka	$207K	+3.6%	26.4%
46506	Bremen	$278K	+6.0%	17.4%
46530	Granger	$415K	+3.9%	13.4%
46573	Wakarusa	$314K	+7.0%	13.3%
46545	Mishawaka	$214K	+3.5%	11.1%
46561	Osceola	$289K	+3.7%	9.4%
46614	South Bend	$241K	+5.5%	6.0%
46550	Nappanee	$296K	+6.4%	2.8%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,480/mo

Year-over-year change+8.4%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,227 to $1,906/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
46544	Mishawaka	$1,304	+8.0%	26.4%
46530	Granger	$1,906	+13.3%	13.4%
46545	Mishawaka	$1,522	+3.8%	11.1%
46614	South Bend	$1,227	—	6.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,386/mo

Home price / national median income3.3x

Annual rent / national median income21.2%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$94/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$256,584 (+3.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.