Good High school in Indianapolis? (Carmel, Franklin: co-op, credit, loans)

[CoolBeans]

I will be moving to Indianapolis this summer and my son (sophomore in HS) will need a good school in the city to go to? We plan on staying away from IPS. Any suggestions? I will move into any district for him so our residency is not a problem. I looked into the schools and cant decide. Please help. Thanks!

[domergurl]

Washington Twp ... North Central High School.

[REM]

I go to warren central... it's an ok school.

[iupui1299]

Franklin Central High School is pretty nice I hear.

[Davachka]

I went to NOrth Central and I would say, stay far away! Overcrowded school offering little individualized attention and alot of bad influences.
My suggestion would be to look into private. Our daughter goes to the International School of Indiana, which is an excellent school focusing on cultural awareness, languages and a wordly education. There is nothing else like it in Indiana and I would encourage you to look into it! SO many opportunities, exchange trips, it will open your eyes to the rest of the world, instead of only seeing whats around you.
Isind.org

Good luck!

[Stretchad]

Originally Posted by faina00

I went to NOrth Central and I would say, stay far away! Overcrowded school offering little individualized attention and alot of bad influences.
My suggestion would be to look into private. Our daughter goes to the International School of Indiana, which is an excellent school focusing on cultural awareness, languages and a wordly education. There is nothing else like it in Indiana and I would encourage you to look into it! SO many opportunities, exchange trips, it will open your eyes to the rest of the world, instead of only seeing whats around you.
Isind.org

Good luck!

I beg to differ. I went to North Central and I loved every minute of it. It's got a lot going on and so there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in a GOOD way. Their academics, sports, musical programs, and clubs are among the best in the state. I was a member of the tennis team, the symphony, the school newspaper and student council. Academically the school is very strong, giving students opportunities to test out of college subjects, or to even earn college credit before graduating HS! I fully credit North Central and its academics for my ability to succeed during undergrad, and subsequetly in my graduate program. In fact, its large size and academic rigor made me even more prepared for attending college on a large campus (35,000+) and in a rigorous major. My friends in undergrad from small high schools felt overwhelmed with the size and the rigor of the courses.

It is a large school so any student benefits from having a diverse set of peers from which to learn. It too has many opportunities to broaden horizons through international opportunities, languages, travel, etc. You can enroll in german, latin, chinese, french, spanish, and through those, meet others who are exchange students learning english, take trips to foreign countries, etc. I tutored French exchange students, and my husband's family hosted a Chinese exchange student for a time when his older sisters were at NCHS.

Yes, there are students there who participate in questionnable behavior, but you will find that at any school. In fact, the vast majority of people I knew from private schools were the "bad" kids. And *GASP* even people at Carmel get involved in bad things! It's all about the company your child keeps.

[Davachka]

NC has below average ISTEP scores. NC has a huge gang and drug problem. Classes are overcrowded and students do not get the attention the deserve. I went there my first couple years, then transferred to a private high school. I went from struggling grades to valedictorian. Why, because I finally received the attention I as a student deserved from the teachers.

As for having international programs, NC offers a few classes here and there. The International School's entire foundation is based on cultural awareness and education. It is comparing apples to oranges, there is no comparison.

Like I said in a previous post, if you want the equivalent to going to a community college for free and taking a few law classes, go to NC. If you want to go to Harvard Law School, go to private. Which do you think will get yo farther in life?

Anyway, I need to get off this computer and pack. We are moving to the warm weather finally....

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by faina00

NC has below average ISTEP scores. NC has a huge gang and drug problem. Classes are overcrowded and students do not get the attention the deserve. I went there my first couple years, then transferred to a private high school. I went from struggling grades to valedictorian. Why, because I finally received the attention I as a student deserved from the teachers.

As for having international programs, NC offers a few classes here and there. The International School's entire foundation is based on cultural awareness and education. It is comparing apples to oranges, there is no comparison.

Like I said in a previous post, if you want the equivalent to going to a community college for free and taking a few law classes, go to NC. If you want to go to Harvard Law School, go to private. Which do you think will get yo farther in life?

Anyway, I need to get off this computer and pack. We are moving to the warm weather finally....

NC seemed to do just fine for Princeton educated Mitch Daniels. Last I checked, you don't go straight to Harvard Law right out of high school.

Look, the International School is great, but it's very very expensive. You have to understand that although the cirriculum is great, the thought of going into incredible debt taking loans out to send your child to high school isn't the reality for most. It's great that you like it and can afford it, but don't poo poo or judge those who simply are not in the same place you are. I may also add that Brebeuf and Park Tudor are just as well regarded and have been around a lot longer.

[DataEast]

The state average for ISTEP is 73% NC scored 71% in 2007-2008 school year. (1% increase from last year). They also have the highest graduation rate in the city. (public) I left Brebeuf for NC and you can't tell me private schools don't have drug problems. All schools have their secrets so stop putting NC down like its some horrible place to be.

[Stretchad]

Originally Posted by faina00

NC has below average ISTEP scores. NC has a huge gang and drug problem. Classes are overcrowded and students do not get the attention the deserve. I went there my first couple years, then transferred to a private high school. I went from struggling grades to valedictorian. Why, because I finally received the attention I as a student deserved from the teachers.

As for having international programs, NC offers a few classes here and there. The International School's entire foundation is based on cultural awareness and education. It is comparing apples to oranges, there is no comparison.

Like I said in a previous post, if you want the equivalent to going to a community college for free and taking a few law classes, go to NC. If you want to go to Harvard Law School, go to private. Which do you think will get yo farther in life?

Huge gang and drug problem? C'mon! Yes, SOME kids are into drugs, SOME are involved with gangs. However, in my experience, the drug sources of classmates were usually from private school students like brebuf and park tudor. It exists EVERYWHERE! And SOME certainly doesn't equal "huge."

Frankly, I think I've gone pretty far in life thus far, having earned an MBA from a top 20 business school program and having a job lined up in one of the worlds largest and most well-respected companies. My husband is also gainfully employed in a very well paying job because he was able to have the opportunity THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL to co-op work/go to school during his junior and senior year and get real world experience in conjunction with a solid education. His sisters are also North Central graduates. One has a masters degree in fine arts and is now a successful professor the other has an MBA from HARVARD and has lived and worked all over the US and Europe. All of us have international experience and perspective, an appreciation for knowledge, the arts and other people & cultures. We've all achieved this before the age of 30 and I think we're all continuing on that upward trajectory in life. So I think you can go really far on an education from North Central. I think there is something to be said to having the opportunity to participate in SO many meaningful activities at North Central...these experiences in excellent extra-curriculars have certainly shaped who I am. Could I have participated in a state-title winning Symphony at a private school? No. Could I have been on a state-title winning tennis team? No. The experience of being part of those groups are invaluable.
And, academically, I never felt like I couldn't get the attention I needed, or that I couldn't get to the level of academic intensity I needed. They have IB programs available, advanced AP courses, courses for college credit etc. I fully tested out of an entire year of calculus, english and a year and a half of french undergraduate classes due to my education at NC (and I didn't even take all advanced classes!).

I don't doubt that the International School has a curriculum that many people will find valuable. BUT, I don't think that you should knock NC so much given that it has as many plusses as private schools do (perhaps more). For people who want a great experience and lots of opportunities to get involved and broaden horizons, there is a chance to have that at NC. I've seen a number of idiots graduate from both private and public schools. NEITHER will get into Harvard.

Faina - I am curious to know how long ago you were a student at North Central? I mean, if you are old enough to have a child for whom you worry about their high school, wouldn't that mean it was quite some time ago that you were a North Central student?