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Principal Richard Benberry stood outdoors of Broad Ripple Excessive College on Monday within the rain, propping up a banner to determine the varsity’s newest non permanent tenant: Purdue Polytechnic Excessive College.
The primary day of faculty for Indianapolis Public Colleges introduced new life to the building, which has not hosted college students for the reason that district closed the school after the 2017-18 school year.
“It’s a giant house for lots of scholars,” Benberry stated, standing in his workplace amid the bustle of scholars heard within the hallway. “I imply, we have been as much as 311 as of yesterday’s depend.”
The brand new house is a aid for the constitution college’s north campus, which plans to make use of the third ground of Broad Ripple Excessive College this yr whereas its everlasting house is constructed simply down the road.
However the story of Purdue Polytechnic Excessive College’s development coincides additionally with the story of IPS’ shrinking enrollment.
Since opening its first Englewood campus in 2017, Purdue Polytechnic has grown from simply 140 freshmen to over 600 college students on that campus alone, Govt Director Scott Bess stated. The north campus at Broad Ripple Excessive College, in the meantime, struck a take care of IPS to make use of the constructing this yr — extra room for the varsity to develop.
As Benberry catches his breath, a mom walks into his workplace, kids in tow.
“New household,” he mutters as he walks over to welcome her.
This yr, the constitution college — a part of the IPS Innovation Community — welcomes its greatest freshman class to its north campus. IPS neighborhood faculties, in the meantime, had just below 19,000 college students enrolled as of Monday — a determine that has been on the decline.
Scholar enrollment at neighborhood, district-run faculties has dropped roughly 33% since 2015-16 — when Innovation faculties started — to final college yr, in response to district information offered in October.
Superintendent Aleesia Johnson stated on Monday that she expects general enrollment to carry regular from final yr, though ultimate figures received’t come till later. Final college yr, district-run neighborhood faculties had 18,777 college students.
Nonetheless, enrollment in conventional neighborhood faculties stays one of many district’s biggest challenges because it begins a brand new yr, along with the standard problem of staffing vacancies. Declining enrollment is a problem not solely to Indianapolis, but in addition to urban school districts nationwide that still are dealing with the pandemic’s effects.
Enrollment is a key part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger initiative, a broad-reaching effort that would reconfigure district faculties.
“Part of that effort is about attempting to find out a strategy to replicate the circumstances we create in our selection faculties in our neighborhood faculties,” Johnson stated.
The brand new college yr additionally represents the primary conventional return to school rooms for the reason that pandemic struck in 2020 — no masks, no remoted studying whereas hunkered down at residence.
“That’s the hope, that we’ll really feel extra regular,” Johnson stated. “I’ve been framing it as simply much less disrupted and extra fixed, is the hope for the yr forward.”
For college students at Purdue Polytechnic Excessive College, the brand new yr brings recent air in additional methods than one: at 25,000 sq. ft, the third ground of the highschool gives practically twice as a lot house as the varsity’s authentic location at 1405 Broad Ripple Ave.
Plus, the primary maskless, in-person college begin additionally brings aid.
“It’s like you possibly can breathe once more,” stated Jayden Barney, a junior who began highschool throughout the pandemic. “A weight lifted off of your soul.”
Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County faculties for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.
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