- Data Portal
- > School Profile
Purdue Polytechnic High School – South Bend
Purdue Polytechnic High School - South Bend, nominated by Getting Smart and NewSchools Venture Fund, is a high school in South Bend, Indiana, that describes itself as a public charter school serving learners from a primarily urban/suburban/rural area.
Location South Bend, Indiana
Governance Public Charter School
Grades High
Students 126
Locale Rural, Suburban, Urban
Principal Justin Zobrosky
Demographics
Percentage of students*
28%
English Learners
62%
Free/Reduced Lunch
25%
Students with Disabilities
African American or Black 19%
American Indian/Alaska Native —
Asian 2%
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander —
Hispanic or Latino 34%
White 39%
2+ Races —
Why Purdue Polytechnic High School – South Bend was nominated
We engage students in projects through PBL and Design thinking assessing and providing feedback using outcomes aligned to the most important state standards., The PPHS Lab high school uses state funding and operates in partnership with industry and community members. Their growth plans include scaling to serve 40 students in 2024-2025, with the intention of replicating upon demonstrating model efficacy and viability.
Student experience design
PPHS South Bend prides itself on providing a school environment and culture that is not only safe and welcoming, but different than any other. Our unique setting in the Studebaker Building (a former car manufacturing facility) is creatively designed and offers a central location for walking field trips to nearby Downtown South Bend partners. This facilitates real-world connections for our "Passion Projects." Passion projects are driven by teacher and student interest. New passion projects are offered four times per year. Some examples of past passion projects include: Museum Exhibit Design with the South Bend Children's Museum, Animal/Pet Accessibility Design with a local animal shelter, Hogwarts: A Literary Experience, Urban Agriculture with Metropolis Greens, and much more. In 2024, PPHS staff created and launched "World Simulation," a school-wide week-long experience to kick off the school year. Students took a personality quiz and were placed into "countries" based on those results. After students learned about their country's culture, resources, and government, they all competed to create treaties, trade deals, and legislation to increase their countries position in the world we created. We experienced alliances, espionage, corruption, treason, and even assembled an impromptu "International Supreme Court" to resolve conflict between countries. This deeply engaging experience not only helped students forget about their cell phones, it sparked conversations about school in the hallways, restrooms, cafeteria, and even at home! PPHS South Bend is a school for any high school student looking to be seen, heard, and valued. This is a high school experience like no other.
Core Practices
| Core Practices | Length of Use |
|---|---|
|
Blended Learning |
5+ years
|
|
Family And Community Support Services |
1-2 years
|
|
Project-based Learning |
5+ years
|
|
Restorative Practices |
5+ years
|
All Practices
Adaptive Learning Software
Student Advisories
AI For Learning Materials
AI For Teacher Productivity
AI-assisted Tutoring
Assessments For Social-emotional Skills
Community And Workforce Partnerships
Culturally Responsive Practices
Disaggregated Data On Student Participation
Dual Language Programming
Grading Policies Focus On Mastery
All Courses Designed For Inclusion
Industry-recognized Credentials
Mental Health Services
Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics
Multi-age Classrooms
Performance Based Assessment
High Quality Instructional Materials
Students Access Their Own Data
Student-led Goal Setting
Self-paced Learning
Students Develop Projects
Trauma-informed Practices
key reasons for innovating
Demonstrate what’s possible for other schools
Improve school culture
Increase student agency
Date Updated: 4/1/2025
*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.