Some IPS students leave for Washington Township following rocky Broad Ripple Middle School opening

Broad Ripple Middle School was launched this school year at the former Broad Ripple High School building that was closed in 2017. (Eric Weddle/ WFYI)

This story was first published by WFYI and republished via Chalkbeat Indiana.

Sumitra Ghate was excited to send her two children to the new Broad Ripple Middle School. She was involved in the planning and attended the district board meetings. Her kids, in sixth and eighth grade, were enthusiastic too.

When her children came home after the first few days of school, they shared concerns about fights between students and teachers struggling to maintain control in class. By the third day, her son thought one teacher was just too overwhelmed by it all.

Ghate felt the chaotic environment was overshadowing the quality of education her children were receiving — especially since her sixth grader seemed to have excellent teachers. But it was the lack of communication from school staff that made it harder for her to see how the issues were being addressed, which ultimately pushed her to look outside the district.

“I mean, we’re all really committed to public schools and our public school system and having a neighborhood school, so there’s a lot that we’re willing to put up with,” Ghate said. “So I think even despite all of these things, you know, if we knew that there was progress being made, and they had a plan, and we’re all holding hands, working through it together, it could have still worked. But it was just radio silence.”

Ghate’s children were among more than 130 students who left Broad Ripple since the start of the school year.

Broad Ripple Middle School was launched at the former Broad Ripple High School building that was closed in 2017 in face of community opposition. The building was reopened this year after renovations as part of the district’s plan to restructure elementary and middle schools, known as Rebuilding Stronger.

The initiative aims to address long-standing inequities by redistributing resources and standardizing academic offerings. IPS leaders said the changes would give students access to the same type of academic programs no matter their ZIP code.

However, the struggles at Broad Ripple Middle School highlight the challenges of implementing new middle schools as part of the restructuring plan.

At the end of August, about a month into this academic year, 753 students attended Broad Ripple Middle School. But as of early October, the number fell to 621 students, according to the district. At Thomas Carr Howe Middle School, the district’s other new middle school, only about 10 students had withdrawn in the same timeframe, the district said.

For families like the Ghates, the decision to leave was driven by dissatisfaction with communication and chaotic school environments. It’s unclear if their departure reflects a broader trend impacting schools that underwent grade configurations as part of the Rebuilding Stronger initiative.

IPS officials declined to provide WFYI with enrollment data of schools directly managed by the district. But area school district and charter school leaders tell WFYI they are seeing an increase of former IPS students enrolling at their schools in the past three months.

Washington Township Schools report enrolling dozens of students. And Scott Bess, president and CEO of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, said Indianapolis charter schools are also experiencing a significant increase in enrollment compared to previous years.

All of that could lead to a negative impact for IPS. When students leave IPS for another district or enroll at a non-managed district school, money follows the student. So a cut in enrollment means less funding for district managed schools to cover academic programs and teacher pay.

The state is expected to release K-12 enrollment data for all public schools next month.

Some IPS students leave for Washington Township

At an Indianapolis Public Schools Board meeting in late August, several parents raised concerns about behavioral issues, broken lockers and poor communication from staff. Dozens of parents and students spoke or submitted public comments, including Ghate, requesting more behavioral support staff and better communication from administrators. Many were upset that the Broad Ripple principal didn’t attend the meeting to hear the concerns.

A week later, Ghate and her children toured Northview Middle School in the MSD of Washington Township.

“It was just a different feeling and a different message and a different type of leadership and organization than what we had seen,” Ghate said.

The Northview principal invited the principals of the other middle schools in the district to speak with Ghate and her children.

“So I don’t think it was fully a push out of Broad Ripple as much as maybe, like we were kind of disappointed in how the school went,” Ghate said. “But then we see this and see what great leadership is.”

Other families followed the Ghates to Washington Township.

As of Nov. 19, 71 students from Broad Ripple Middle School transferred to Washington Township schools. Forty-eight of those students are at Eastwood, 21 are at Northview, and two are at Westlane, according to district communications manager Ellen Rogers.

Due to the influx of students, the district closed non-resident enrollment on Sept. 30. Students from other districts can now enroll in Washington Township for the spring semester. Rogers said a handful of spring applicants are IPS students, but not necessarily from Broad Ripple Middle School.

The township also proposed changes to school boundaries due to an influx in enrollment.

Changes at Broad Ripple show improvements

School leadership shifted at the end of September, when principal Tiffany Robinson went on medical leave for the rest of the school year. Jeremy Baugh, who was appointed as an administrator on special assignment, took over.

Baugh has been a principal in IPS for nearly 10 years, most recently at Brookside School 54. He was the founding principal of the K-8 charter school George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy in 2013.

“The children are smiling,” Baugh told WFYI during a recent tour of the school.

He said the difference in the school now compared to when he arrived in late September was “like night and day.”

One of the first changes Baugh implemented was a staggered bell system to reduce hallway congestion. Now, instead of 600 students in the halls during the four minute passing periods, it’s separated by grades.

“It just drastically improved all the things that happen in a passing period of a middle school, which is just a loud volume, stressful situation because there’s a ton of people in a smaller space,” Baugh said of the change.

“Parents are telling me that they’re happy and they are starting to make new friends from different schools,” Baugh said. “They’re starting to identify with people they’ve never known before, and they’re starting to see them come over to do things after school hours, and so that kind of makes my heart happy that kids are really merging and doing a great job.”

Baugh addressed morning tardiness by changing how breakfast is offered to students. It is now eaten in first period classrooms instead of in the cafeteria.

Students also wear color coded lanyards that indicate what grade they’re in to make it easier to tell if they are where they’re supposed to be. He also helped enforce the already existing “no cell phone” policy, which Baugh and parents have said made a big difference.

“We still have a ways to go,” Baugh said. “I mean, we’re very much in the beginning of the school, and we have big visions and high expectations, but it is definitely a very positive place now.”

Ariel Stilwell, president of the Broad Ripple Parent Teacher Student Association, said positive changes are underway. Her eighth grader and his friends attend the school, and she says he’s happy there.

“He likes his school, he likes his school day. He likes his classes. He was telling me all the things they were doing in art yesterday,” Stilwell said. “Like, in general, he feels like he’s learning. There is some wonderful academic rigor happening in his classes.”

Her son has told her how much he likes what he’s learning in his algebra class, but doesn’t like his honors biology class as much because it’s hard. Stilwell sees that as a good sign.

“I think I’m pleased with that. Because he’s learning that he has to study and he has to read the things that the teacher talks about in order to understand them,” Stilwell said. “And those skills I see him learning, I’m thrilled for.”

Stilwell was involved with planning the school since last December, but she said there were a few things that people just didn’t think about — like working locker combinations, or how to manage the intermixing of hundreds of kids from different schools.

There was a lot of problem solving that needed to happen on the fly, Stilwell said, and no one was prepared for that. She also said that teachers and staff fell short on communicating to parents on what was being done. That created an atmosphere of feeling unprepared and disorganized.

But that scattered environment has since eased up, she said.

“I do feel like if a lot of these families that just decided to pull their kids after like, three weeks, if they could have just stuck it out a little bit and been willing to maybe hear some of the problem solving, I think they would have been a lot happier with how things were going like now versus the beginning of the year,” Stilwell said. “It definitely seems like a much more stable situation.”

IPS stands by Rebuilding Stronger

IPS board member Will Pritchard has said in the last several weeks, the amount of complaints he’s received about Broad Ripple and Howe middle schools are down significantly. Whether that’s because dissatisfied families have left, or because most of the problems have been solved, is unclear to him.

He says a tumultuous first few weeks at a new school was to be expected.

“It’s not easy,” said Pritchard, whose term on the board ends next month. “But I think IPS has two very capable leaders in both schools. They just need time to bring this all together.”

In a statement to WFYI, the district spokesperson said IPS supports families’ educational choices and remains committed to delivering Rebuilding Stronger and exceptional experiences for all students.

“Parents have raised valid concerns this school year, and we are listening. When problems arose at Broad Ripple Middle School, our school leadership team took immediate action,” the district said in a statement. “They met directly with families to understand their perspectives and swiftly implemented meaningful changes. As we build our new community at Broad Ripple, we are committed to fostering an environment where every student feels supported, respected, and empowered to succeed.”

WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais covers Marion County schools. 

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.