Study abroad school Thrival Indy Academy to close after missing enrollment goals

An Indianapolis school focused on giving students study abroad experiences in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic will close after this academic year due to low enrollment. 

Indianapolis Public Schools announced Friday it will end its partnership with Thrival Indy Academy after several years in which the school had to temporarily cease operations and change how it operated. The school is located in Arlington Middle School on the city’s northeast side. 

“This is always the hardest decision to share as a Superintendent, but I am committed to getting this transition right for Thrival students, families, and staff,” IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a statement. “My pledge to Thrival families is that IPS will have your back every step of the way by helping you find a great IPS high school for your child next school year.”

The closure was described as a mutual decision by IPS and the Thrival Indy Academy Board of Directors in a press release. 

Thrival Indy Academy opened in 2017-18 as a pilot program for juniors within Arsenal Tech High School. The students took a year of classes and a three-month trip to Thailand at no cost to themselves. The idea behind Thrival originated in California and an Indianapolis version was launched as a start-up program funded by local education non-profit The Mind Trust.

After the pilot year, the IPS School Board approved for the program to become a full-fledged school through an innovation agreement with Thrival’s nonprofit board. Innovation schools are part of the IPS district and operate autonomously of most district policies by charter organizations and nonprofit school managers. 

But soon Thrival Academy faced financial and logistical issues over the cost of funding travel for students, and ensuring students could complete new graduation requirements while out of the country.

The district then “paused” the school for the 2019-20 academic year so the Thrival administration could develop a new curriculum, budget and staffing model. 

When the school reopened, it shelved plans to take students to Southeast Asia, and focused on planning more affordable study trips to Central America: sophomores for a brief visit to Costa Rica and juniors would spend months in the Dominican Republic. 

IPS and the school also agreed to expand Thrival to grades 9-12 and boost enrollment: 225 students in 2022-23 and 300 students by this academic year. But enrollment remained at just a bit more than 100 students for both years.

Thrival’s founding executive director, India Johnson, left the school last November, according to her website. 

“This was an incredibly difficult decision for both IPS and Thrival’s Board and administration,” Julius Mansa of the Thrival Indy Academy board said in a statement. “For the past several years, Thrival’s enrollment has remained low, and this year enrollment is just one-third of the school’s target. We are truly sorry for this decision, but mutually agree that it is what is necessary.”

Current Thrival students will be guaranteed enrollment at a direct-managed high school for the 2024-25 school year. 

IPS closed six schools this past summer as a part of an overhaul of district resources in the elementary and middle school grades.