Elevating expectations: Indianapolis Public Schools raises the academic bar with Early College

When Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) aimed to raise the academic rigor of its high schools and better prepare students for life after graduation, leaders recognized the need for an innovative approach. The state’s largest district found a proven solution in the Early College model.

In 2022, Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks high schools became pioneers for the district, launching IPS’s first Early Colleges. Now more students have expanded access to postsecondary coursework and career certifications—all before graduating high school.

At just two years in, both schools celebrated major milestones with their first Early College graduates in 2024, a growing student body, and plans for expansion. The shift is creating a new standard for academic achievement districtwide.

“Hearing stories from schools with similar demographics and challenges was invaluable.”

-Austin Dodd, Director of High School Academies and Pathways for IPS

Laying the Groundwork: Addressing the Need for Rigorous Options

A 2020 district-wide review of IPS’s high school programs revealed a gap in college-preparatory options. Students lacked ample opportunities to earn dual credit, access Advanced Placement courses, and pursue industry certifications. The Early College model aligned with IPS’s goals as it looked to create more ways for students to graduate and go to college.

In 2022, Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks were selected to participate in CELL’s Urban College Acceleration Network (UCAN), a funded opportunity in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education for urban high schools to develop an expedited pathway toward endorsement as an Early College High School.

UCAN provided programmatic and financial support to help Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks ramp up their Early College efforts. School leaders gained access to other urban schools that had successfully implemented the model.

“Hearing stories from schools with similar demographics and challenges was invaluable,” said Austin Dodd, Director of High School Academies and Pathways for IPS. “We were able to see what was possible, avoid pitfalls, and get advice on best practices.”

The grant funding helped create dedicated college-like spaces and Writing Centers. Funds also subsidized the Summer Bridge Program, a week-long initiative bringing Early College students together for academic and cultural enrichment.

“UCAN really provided us with the tools, technical expertise, and personal support to go from ‘high school as usual’ to what I call ‘high school max,’” said Dodd. “Now we are offering something different that our students would not have gotten otherwise.”

Building a College-Going Culture: Creating Centers for Success

The Writing and Future Centers on each campus are central to developing a college-going culture. Writing Centers, modeled after college resource hubs, assist teachers with integrating advanced writing assignments and offer students extra academic support. Tailored workshops and coaching have been crucial in helping students tackle college-level coursework.

Future Centers offer postsecondary readiness counselors who work with Early College students in grades nine through 11. These counselors assist with course selection, coordinate college visits, and connect students with college representatives. As students begin grade 12, a college specialist steps in to guide seniors through college and scholarship applications, FAFSA submissions, and the transition from high school to college.

Early College students can earn credit toward their college degree while pursuing an industry certification in fields like engineering, hospitality, and computer science.

Innovative Early College Partnerships at Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks

At Arsenal Tech, a longstanding partnership with local nonprofit Elevate Indianapolis has been instrumental in preparing students for college-level coursework. Elevate staff teach Ivy Tech Community College’s IVYT 106: Career Explorations, a foundational course for Early College students. The staff provide mentoring and case management throughout the students’ academic journey. Early College participants also gain access to Elevate’s extracurricular programs, including sports, adventure activities, and afterschool industry visits.

“Elevate Indianapolis and our Writing Center have been part of the backbone of Early College at Arsenal Tech,” said Dodd.

Crispus Attucks’ proximity to Indiana University Indianapolis has allowed for a unique collaboration with the university’s SPAN (Special Programs for Academic Nurturing) Division. Students can take college courses on the Attucks and IU-Indy campuses. The partnership builds on an agreement with IPS that affords students with a 3.0 GPA or better automatic admission to the university.

In addition to a rigorous academic experience, Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks also offer multiple career pathways. Early College students can earn credit toward their college degree while pursuing an industry certification in fields like engineering, hospitality, and computer science.

Crispus Attucks’ Health Science Academy allows students to earn credentials in high-demand fields like nursing. The IU Health Fellowship, which guarantees a job to those pursuing health care certifications, offers hands-on experience while students work toward academic credentials for real-world career opportunities.

“Let’s consider a student pursuing their CNA. He or she can earn around 12 dual credits in the health sciences pathway, plus up to 30 credits as part of the Indiana College Core. Think about how easy it is to take those credits to Ivy Tech and be very close to earning your associate degree or career certificate because of how well you were set up in Early College,” said Dodd.

IPS is looking ahead with plans to expand the [Early College] model.

A Data-Driven Approach: Identifying and Supporting College-Ready Students

IPS is looking ahead with plans to expand the model. Using a data-driven approach, staff are working to identify students who have the potential to thrive in college-level courses—even if they haven’t shown interest yet. To do this, the team is developing an Early College indicator dashboard that will track a variety of factors, from PSAT scores to GPA, to flag students who are college ready.

This forward-thinking approach, inspired by a CELL-led visit to Texas’s Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District and made possible through UCAN funding, aims to open doors for more students and ensure no one falls through the cracks. It’s about creating a culture where college isn’t just a possibility, it’s a promise.

Transformative Stories: From Skepticism to Success

While Crispus Attucks was in the initial stages of Early College planning, the assistant principal called a student’s mother with a suggestion: “I think your daughter should enroll in a few additional classes to achieve the Indiana College Core.” That simple phone call resulted in both her children graduating high school with an associate degree in hand. The mother publicly thanked the school for offering her children academic opportunities that exceeded her expectations.

This is the Early College difference.

“This family served as fuel for what was possible and affirmation that we were working on the right thing,” said Dodd. “That is the power behind the intentionality, care, and compassion of this work. I can only imagine what the stories will be when we have all four cohorts going in our Early Colleges. These first 200 students will just be a drop in the bucket for what we plan to accomplish.”

Teachers have been some of the strongest advocates for Early College. As the schools prepare to add their next cohort during the 2024-25 school year, faculty are looking for ways to get more students involved. One educator used PowerSchool data to identify 130 freshmen with Early College potential and urged the administration to pursue them. This level of dedication is creating a contagious buzz and buy-in.

“We have teachers who are challenging the team to do more. ‘Thirty was good. Fifty was good. Sixty was good. But there are more students out there!’ This type of excitement has elevated the expectations of our students and ourselves,” said Dodd.

“‘This is not a new thing. This is not another thing. Early College is THE thing.'”

-Austin Dodd, Director of High School Academies and Pathways for IPS, Quoting steve combs, director of early college at CELL

Looking to the Future: Expanding the Early College Model

At Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks, the vision is clear: make rigorous, college-preparatory education accessible to everyone. The schools are on track to receive official Endorsed Early College High School status from CELL in 2025, a designation usually taking twice as long to achieve. And with plans to expand on other IPS campuses, the momentum shows no signs of slowing.

“We are focused on doing postsecondary readiness really, really well. To quote Steve Combs, CELL’s Director of Early College, ‘This is not a new thing. This is not another thing. Early College is THE thing,’” said Dodd.

For educators and administrators everywhere, IPS’s Early College journey is proof of what’s possible when schools foster student potential in innovative ways. With CELL’s support, a commitment to fresh strategies, and a determination to break boundaries, IPS is redefining what high school can be. Arsenal Tech and Crispus Attucks show that when students have the right resources in place, college can become the rule—not the exception—in every Indiana ZIP code.

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The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis supports schools as they implement an Early College High School model and pursue endorsement.