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This story was originally published by Chalkbeat Indiana.
The gym at Joyce Kilmer School 69 had its last day in the sun in the bitter January cold.
Construction workers started demolition on the former School 69 building off of Keystone Avenue in the Meadows neighborhood on Monday, marking an end to the brick school building built in 1931.
The same site on the east side of the city will eventually be home to the new elementary building for the Sidener Academy for High Ability Students for grades 1-5, which is just three miles to the north on the same street. Indianapolis Public Schools is building the new school through a $410 million capital referendum that voters approved in 2023. Construction begins in the spring, and the new building will open in fall 2027.
The changes are part of the district’s Rebuilding Stronger plan, which reorganized the district amid declining enrollment by closing and consolidating schools while also reconfiguring grades to create standalone elementary and middle schools.
The plan also seeks to make more programs—such as the high ability program—accessible to more students throughout the district by replicating them beyond the city’s midtown area.
“The Joyce Kilmer project reflects our commitment to ensuring every child has access to a top-tier learning environment,” IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a press release sent on Friday.
The new $35 million Sidener Academy will be roughly 68,000 square feet and include a gym, media center, cafeteria, and outdoor play areas, according to the district.
The three largest trees on site will be preserved, and limestone from the original building will be reused for outdoor benches, according to Leslie Schulte of J.S. Held, the firm managing the construction project.
School 69 previously housed grades K-6 before IPS partnered with Kindezi Academy, a charter school, to open the building as a school within the district’s autonomous Innovation Network.
Kindezi operated for six years before closing in 2022 due to low academic performance and facility challenges.
The building itself had its problems too: Based on scores from a 2020 assessment of the district’s facilities, the building was rated as in overall “unsatisfactory” condition—the worst rating.
Plans for the old building have not been finalized and the district is examining its options, a district spokesperson said.
Sidener Academy Principal Milanda Penn said in a statement that she was excited and optimistic about the opportunities the new building will provide.
“The state-of-the-art facilities at Joyce Kilmer will allow us to provide an environment tailored to the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of our high-ability students,” Penn said. “With modern classrooms, specialized learning spaces, and advanced technology, we will be able to foster an environment that promotes curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration, skills that will serve our students for a lifetime.”
Chalkbeat Indiana is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
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Sidener has needed a larger building for years. While the rest of IPS enrollment is decreasing, Sidener always has a waiting list of kids wanting to enroll. My son went there from 3rd-8th grade and I am so grateful for the teachers and IEP (Mr. Henney), that worked there. Each person I encountered loved and gave 100% to the kids. The teachers go for extra training to learn how to teach gifted and 2E (twice exceptional) kids. Meaning kids who are gifted and have a learning disability which includes ADHD. The school trained me on what 2E was and how to help my son.
Has it been determined what will happen to the current Sidener Building next to Glendale?