Indianapolis charter schools set to grow with mayor's board approval of new campuses

The Indianapolis Charter School Board this week approved expansion plans for two existing charter schools and advanced a proposal for a new law-themed charter school.

The board approved charter school replication applications from Victory College Prep and Indiana Math and Science Academy. IMSA plans to expand with a new campus on the Near Westside in the Haughville neighborhood. Victory College Prep will replace its single K–12 charter with three separate charters—retaining its elementary and middle schools at the Sloan Avenue campus and relocating its high school to a newly-acquired building.

A third organizer pitched a new school: Legal Prep Academy, currently operating a single campus in Chicago, presented a preliminary application to launch a school for grades 6–12 near Monument Circle in August 2026.

The board met Tuesday and approved the replications. The board will review Legal Prep Academy’s full application at its June 24 meeting.

The decisions come after Gov. Mike Braun signed a bill that would require traditional public schools to share local property taxes with charter schools. Opponents of the bill, including the Indianapolis Public Schools Board, say the funding cut will devastate the district and force them to close multiple schools. They say that taking money away from an already tight budget will negatively impact the city's students. 

Supporters of the bill say that all public school options in the city should be funded equally so they can afford services like transportation, which many charter schools struggle to offer. 

Nearly 40% of students who live within IPS boundaries attend charter schools.

Recently approved state legislation, now awaiting Braun’s signature, would place a temporary pause on the creation of new charter schools within the district from July through December—excluding those authorized by the mayor’s office.

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools managed privately by nonprofit boards rather than elected officials. These boards operate under contracts granted by one of several authorizers in the state, including the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation.

Here’s details on the schools:

Indiana Math and Science Academy — Near Westside

Indiana Math and Science Academy Indiana Math and Science Academy will open its third campus by fall 2026 at 2447 W. 14th St. on the Near Westside, focusing on attracting students from Center Township and throughout Indianapolis Public Schools’ boundaries.

School leaders describe the curriculum as built around science, technology, engineering and math.

Sandra Harris, a longtime teacher at IMSA, says the new school would just expand the positive impact that’s already being done for communities that are underrepresented in STEM fields. 

“If they're given those opportunities, we watch them flourish. That’s something we will see more of if we open up this other school,” Harris said during public comment at the hearing. “The workforce that you’re going to see 10-15 years from now, we build right now.”

Organizers project 210 students in grades K-6 would enroll in the first year, and eventually grow to more than 500 students in K-12.

In the replication application, IMSA cites a low median household income for the neighborhood, claiming that indicates a need for more education opportunities -- specifically an “institution that can provide a pathway to higher-paying careers and economic opportunity.”

Over 550 students attend IMSA’s two campuses:. 89% of students receive free and reduced lunch and 70% of students are Black. The first campus on 38th and Lafayette opened in 2007, and the North campus on 74th and Keystone opened in 2010. 

More than 500 students are enrolled at each of IMSA’s existing campuses. At both schools, just under half of students qualify as economically disadvantaged, and the student population is about 30% Black, 30% Hispanic or Latino, 32% White and 5% multiracial.

Victory College Prep Middle School — Near Southeast

Victory College Prep is replacing its single K–12 charter with three separate charters: it will retain its elementary and middle school programs at its existing 1780 Sloan Ave campus and relocate its high school to the newly acquired building at 2710 Bethel Ave., effectively splitting its current 7–12 campus into a standalone middle school for grades 5-8 and a dedicated high school.

The network’s curriculum focuses on college and career readiness, offering courses in business fundamentals and marketing, STEM-centered computing and SAT preparation.

The school has already purchased the Bethel Park Elementary building for the new campus. The mayor’s office revoked that school’s charter earlier this year.

Avience Brown will be the new middle school’s first principal. She’s been with the school for eight years.

High school principal Chelsea Easter says the distinction between the two schools will help staff and students focus on things like college and entrance exam prep without having to divide her time and attention to as many grades. 

Elementary and middle schoolers will stay at the current campus on Sloan Avenue, just around two miles from the new building. 

VCP argues that IPS’s reconfiguration of grade levels and its pattern of closing and reopening schools — including Thomas Carr Howe Middle School — have caused “instability” for families in Southeast Indianapolis. VCP currently enrolls more than 1,000 students across its three schools. According to state data, nearly 60% of students are Black and over 90% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Executive Director Ryan Gall was suspended for two weeks without pay last year after the VCP board learned he sent a sexually explicit email. WFYI reported that the email, sent during non-school hours from a personal account, prompted the board to revise its personnel policies in response.

Legal Prep Academy — Downtown

Legal Prep Academy, a law-themed charter school with a campus in Chicago, plans to open in August 2026 and serve grades 6-12. The curriculum proposes a blend of Indiana’s Core 40 requirements with law-themed courses — constitutional law, criminal law and legal writing — and pairs each grade level with externships at local law firms or corporate legal departments.

In the first year, it projects enrollment of 75 sixth-graders and 150 ninth-graders, then add one or two grades each year to reach a total capacity of 825 students in four years.

Although a location hasn’t yet been decided for the school, leaders say they want to open up near downtown to serve students from across the city. They also want the school to be near future community partners to give students access to internship and mentorship opportunities. 

Leaders say that although it’s expected that not every Legal Prep graduate goes to law school, the curriculum provides skills that apply to all areas of life -- like critical thinking and professionalism.