Two Indianapolis Charter Schools Get Green Light for Expansion

Victory College Prep’s Expansion Plans

✅ Victory College Prep, a K-12 institution currently serving approximately 1,100 students in the southeastern part of Indianapolis, is poised for significant growth as it embarks on a transformative expansion.

The school, which has long been a cornerstone of the local education community, currently operates from a single campus on Sloan Avenue.

However, with plans to restructure and expand, the school will now grow into three distinct campuses that will serve elementary, middle, and high school students.

The expansion comes after the school acquired a new facility located about two miles west of its current location.

This new building will house the high school, while the existing Sloan Avenue campus will continue to serve elementary and middle school students.

The restructuring is part of Victory College Prep’s long-term vision to better serve the growing demand for quality education in the community and to create specialized learning environments for different age groups.

A New Chapter for Victory College Prep

Victory College Prep has faced a challenging winter transition, but the school is now ready to enter this new phase of growth.

The new high school campus at 2710 Bethel Ave is expected to offer much-needed space for the expanding student body.

In the face of increasing enrollment numbers and the need for greater resources, the school’s leadership has acted swiftly to ensure that the new campus meets the needs of future students.

To support this expansion, the school sought approval for separate charters for each of the three new campuses.

The Indianapolis Charter School Board deliberated on the request, and after a series of presentations and discussions, they granted approval for the elementary and middle schools, as well as the high school.

This decision signifies a pivotal moment in the development of Victory College Prep and heralds the start of a new era for the institution.

Key Details of Victory College Prep’s Expansion

✅ Enrollment Goals:

The leadership at Victory College Prep has set ambitious enrollment targets for the coming years.

The school aims to increase its student body by 200 students each year for the next two years, ultimately reaching a target of 1,500 students.

This expansion will accommodate the growing demand for quality education in Indianapolis and ensure that the school can provide a supportive and thriving learning environment for students of all grade levels.

✅ Transportation Plans:

One of the significant challenges of such an expansion is ensuring that students can easily travel between campuses.

To address this, Victory College Prep plans to add six additional buses to its existing fleet of 18.

These buses will provide convenient transportation between the two campuses, helping to streamline school drop-off and pick-up for families.

The addition of these buses will alleviate some of the logistical challenges posed by the expansion, ensuring that students and families have a smooth and efficient experience.

✅ Approval Votes:

The charter proposals were put to a vote by the board, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.

The middle school’s charter received unanimous approval (8-0), while the high school’s charter was approved by a vote of 7-1, with Shamika Anderson, the President of the Near North Development Corporation, casting the lone dissenting vote.

Anderson raised concerns about the long-term impact of the expansion on students, specifically questioning the percentage of graduates who would pursue higher education after finishing high school.

While the school did not provide immediate data to answer Anderson’s question, Principal Chelsea Easter pointed out that the school has a dedicated alumni coordinator who keeps track of graduates for two years after they leave high school.

This initiative ensures that the school can offer support and guidance to students even after they’ve graduated.

🏫 A Community-Focused Approach 

In the coming months, the school plans to renovate the newly acquired Bethel Park campus in preparation for the arrival of high school students in the fall.

The leadership is committed to creating a state-of-the-art facility that will support the academic and extracurricular needs of high school students.

For more detailed information on Victory College Prep’s plans, visit their official website.

✅ Indiana Math and Science Academy’s Third Campus

The Indiana Math and Science Academy (IMSA), another key player in Indianapolis’ educational landscape, is also in the midst of a significant expansion.

IMSA currently operates two campuses: one serving pre-K through eighth grade on the city’s west side, and another serving pre-K through high school students on the north side.

Now, IMSA leaders are looking to open a third campus, located near Haughville, a community just southwest of 16th Street and Lafayette Road.

This new campus is slated to fill a crucial educational need in the area, as IMSA believes that their specialized approach to math and science education can provide local students with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.

The leadership at IMSA has already secured a commitment to purchase a former Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) building, which will serve as the site for the new campus.

However, as with Victory College Prep, the expansion has not been without its challenges.

Board members raised concerns about the impact of the new campus on existing charter schools in the area, especially those already serving the west side.

Specifically, they questioned how IMSA’s performance at its other campuses would translate to the new location.

Concerns raised during the board meeting included the significant disparity in test scores between IMSA’s West campus, where nearly 54% of students tested proficient on the ILEARN math exam, and the North campus, where only about 10% of students reached proficiency.

These statistics raised red flags for some board members, who worried that the new campus might not significantly improve educational outcomes for local students.

Additionally, board members discussed IMSA’s previous attempt to expand, which saw the Southside campus closed in 2017 due to underperformance and low enrollment.

The closure of this campus highlighted the risks of expansion without careful planning and community involvement.

Key Points from IMSA’s Expansion Plan

✅ Expansion Timeline:

IMSA plans to recruit students over the next year, with the new Haughville campus scheduled to open in the fall of 2026. The campus will initially serve about 200 students, ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade, with plans to gradually expand to 500 K-12 seats by 2032.

✅ Community Outreach:

Leaders at IMSA have acknowledged that the success of this expansion will depend not only on the quality of their educational model but also on their ability to connect with and gain the support of the local community.

Community outreach has been a key part of their strategy, with efforts to engage families, educators, and local organizations in the planning process.

✅ Student Enrollment:

As part of their commitment to offering a quality education, IMSA aims to increase enrollment gradually.

The initial student body will be smaller, but the school’s leaders are confident that as they build relationships with the community and refine their educational practices, enrollment will grow steadily.

✅ Expansion Amid Education Tensions

The approval of these expansions comes at a time when there is significant tension within Indianapolis’ public education system.

Ongoing debates about school funding and resource allocation have sparked calls for a temporary pause in the opening of new charter schools.

Critics argue that the focus should be on improving the existing public schools rather than adding new schools to an already stretched system.

To address these concerns, a new education alliance is set to be formed.

This alliance will bring together officials from both Indianapolis Public Schools and charter school advocates to discuss ways to optimize the use of existing school facilities and improve transportation services across the city.

The goal is to create a more efficient system that maximizes resources and provides better opportunities for all students, regardless of whether they attend a charter or a public school.

Despite the debates and tensions, the approval of the Victory College Prep and IMSA expansions signals a significant step forward for charter schools in Indianapolis.

These schools are positioning themselves as leaders in the city’s educational landscape, offering new opportunities for students and helping to address the challenges of overcrowded schools and limited resources.

As these two schools move forward with their expansion plans, their success could serve as a model for future charter schools in Indianapolis and beyond.

By focusing on community engagement, strategic growth, and academic excellence, they are working to ensure that their students have the best possible education is essential for preparing individuals to succeed in an ever-changing world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dZji0ndGo0&ab_channel=WRTVIndianapolis