Info on Indianapolis

[rec]

You pretty much have to go far north, far NE around Geist Reservoir, maybe far NW around west 71st St and west of Meridian and beyond that farther NW to stay in Indy/Marion County and get what you're looking for.

[chalcedony]

Lots of unfounded bashing of the city limits here. The OP said she was looking in the city limits--can we do whatever we can to support this rare family who isn't wanting to join in the sprawburbia? The "collar" township schools will offer your child a fine education, and they will have diversity that you won't get in the suburbs. Obviously for some the diversity is a red flag; for others it's a plus. Perry Township schools has over 20 languages spoken in the district, so the system is going to be a bit more strained at providing services for its students than you would find in the more homogeneous suburbs. The east side of town (Warren Township) generally has the worst reputation, mostly for crime, though I suspect the schools are far better than people give them credit for. There is, however, greater poverty in that area so it will likely be rougher than other parts. The west side isn't struggling so much but is very heavy with immigrants, which is certainly causing some demographic changes--Ben Davis is probably a very diverse high school these days.

I went to Perry Township schools and they remain solid. The southside was unfashionable twenty years ago but is generally booming now, whereas the eastside (which was booming back then) is not so desirable these days. Market cycles I suppose.

North Central High School in Washington Township seems to have the most consistently strong reputation--I've practically never heard anything bad about it.

[tourist]

Originally Posted by chalcedony

Lots of unfounded bashing of the city limits here. The OP said she was looking in the city limits--can we do whatever we can to support this rare family who isn't wanting to join in the sprawburbia? The "collar" township schools will offer your child a fine education, and they will have diversity that you won't get in the suburbs. Obviously for some the diversity is a red flag; for others it's a plus. Perry Township schools has over 20 languages spoken in the district, so the system is going to be a bit more strained at providing services for its students than you would find in the more homogeneous suburbs. The east side of town (Warren Township) generally has the worst reputation, mostly for crime, though I suspect the schools are far better than people give them credit for. There is, however, greater poverty in that area so it will likely be rougher than other parts. The west side isn't struggling so much but is very heavy with immigrants, which is certainly causing some demographic changes--Ben Davis is probably a very diverse high school these days.

I went to Perry Township schools and they remain solid. The southside was unfashionable twenty years ago but is generally booming now, whereas the eastside (which was booming back then) is not so desirable these days. Market cycles I suppose.

North Central High School in Washington Township seems to have the most consistently strong reputation--I've practically never heard anything bad about it.

I don't mean to gripe about well-meaning input, but as a complete newbie to Indianapolis I found it hard to decipher what to take from your first paragraph.

Our family is 'diverse' (Asian/Caucasian) looking for 'best-in-the-city' academic standards, without (necessarily) leaving the public system. Where we come from--Australia--that's possible, but it took very careful planning in terms of where to live (school catchment areas).

Culturally, we prefer inner-city areas if those are liveable and diverse, but we haven't experienced Indianapolis yet.

Frankly, the kids come first, so my wife and I would give up the inner city lifestyle if needed to gain better education options. Many of the other posts here suggest that's necessary ("avoid IPS")--do you have a different opinion?

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by tourist

I don't mean to gripe about well-meaning input, but as a complete newbie to Indianapolis I found it hard to decipher what to take from your first paragraph.

Within Indy's city limits, there are 9 different school districts, plus Speedway and Beech Grove. IPS is in the middle, and the township school districts ring around the outside of IPS.

Maybe this will help:

Indianapolis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[DataEast]

I'm a Pike High School student and I absolutely hate it, please do not send your kids here, Warren, or even Lawrence which has its good points. Stay out of Indianapolis but if you MUST then I suggest Washington Township, Franklin Township, Perry Township, Decatur Township, and Wayne Township.

[BU191433]

Originally Posted by tourist

I don't mean to gripe about well-meaning input, but as a complete newbie to Indianapolis I found it hard to decipher what to take from your first paragraph.

Our family is 'diverse' (Asian/Caucasian) looking for 'best-in-the-city' academic standards, without (necessarily) leaving the public system. Where we come from--Australia--that's possible, but it took very careful planning in terms of where to live (school catchment areas).

Culturally, we prefer inner-city areas if those are liveable and diverse, but we haven't experienced Indianapolis yet.

Frankly, the kids come first, so my wife and I would give up the inner city lifestyle if needed to gain better education options. Many of the other posts here suggest that's necessary ("avoid IPS")--do you have a different opinion?

I would recommend you come here and experience it for your self. Look into the Washington Township area - which is wiuthin the city limits on the northwide of the city. Very diverse area. Some nighborhoods of 1M-2M dollor homes and other areas that are not very nice at all - they all go to the same high school though. Schools are good, but so many different backhgrounds - sometimes there is trouble

Also look into the Carmel area - great schools (this is where I live now and I know for a fact that there are many, many Asian familes in the area

[PhillyIndy]

I previously livied in indy and nearly returned a few years ago.

I would not discount the private or charter route if you like Indy.

Depending on where you are coming from, the cost of living for a hopuse and private school in Indy might not be so bad. We were coming from Philly (so not the priciest place) but we would have probably done Meridian Kessler and private school and it would have been close to a push from a cost perspective.

I also recall a few charters springing up. Might be able to live in Indy and get a great education there via a charter.

[domergurl]

It doesn't help when studies like this come out.

Study may stoke legislative charter school debate - Chicago Tribune

In defense of charter schools, they are still in their infancy ... they need to be given at least 10-15 years

[chalcedony]

Originally Posted by tourist

I don't mean to gripe about well-meaning input, but as a complete newbie to Indianapolis I found it hard to decipher what to take from your first paragraph.

Our family is 'diverse' (Asian/Caucasian) looking for 'best-in-the-city' academic standards, without (necessarily) leaving the public system. Where we come from--Australia--that's possible, but it took very careful planning in terms of where to live (school catchment areas).

Culturally, we prefer inner-city areas if those are liveable and diverse, but we haven't experienced Indianapolis yet.

Frankly, the kids come first, so my wife and I would give up the inner city lifestyle if needed to gain better education options. Many of the other posts here suggest that's necessary ("avoid IPS")--do you have a different opinion?

In response to your earlier concerns from my post, every township school is its own catchment area--however, they are not always perfectly co-terminous with the township boundaries. Indianapolis Public School (IPS) has a very irregular boundary that extends into some of the eight suburban townships. Think of it like a tic-tac-toe board and Center Township is, predictably, the center square, with most of the inner-city neighborhoods and the toughest school system. However, some of IPS spreads into the other surrounding squares, and then Beech Grove and Speedway have their own school systems separate from the townships. It's very confusing.

That said, Washington Township has probably the widest socio-economic range, with some quite poor areas as well as some incredibly wealthy ones. The school system has managed to retain a high reputation despite having met with the challenges of poverty and a student body that now speaks over 30 languages. Neighborhoods that at least partially feed into this include parts of Meridian Kessler, Butler Tarkington, Broad Ripple, Meridian Hills, Williams Creek, SoBro, and, I believe, Ravenswood. Checking the metropolitan school districts should show exactly how the district boundaries are drawn.

IPS, despite its bad reputation, has a few magnet schools which perform quite well: if I remember correctly, Broad Ripple High School has an arts and humanities focus while Arsenal Tech has an engineering and sciences. Testing to gain entry to these magnet programs is very demanding though.

I hope this clarifies, though I realize it is very confusing--far more confusing than most urban school systems. PM me if you have further questions.

[PhillyIndy]

Originally Posted by domergurl

It doesn't help when studies like this come out.

Study may stoke legislative charter school debate - Chicago Tribune

In defense of charter schools, they are still in their infancy ... they need to be given at least 10-15 years

All schooling decisions are local (or something like that)

If you are in a bad school catchement (bottom half), it would seem by the numbers that a charter would be a good choice/option.

This will also be a problem with charters as they will more often than not draw from people in sub-par school catchement areas.

Not a chater person, but I think they add something for 40-50% of the people out there