Purdue Polytechnic High School Indianapolis North, a public charter school that was authorized by the Indianapolis Mayor's Office of Education Innovation, and Indianapolis Public Schools agreed to bring PPHS into the IPS portfolio of Innovation Network Schools on April 29th. PPHS North is currently in its third year of operation in Broad Ripple. This agreement allows the school to join PPHS Schweitzer Center at Englewood, located on the eastside of Indianapolis, as an IPS Innovation school.

In a recent press release, this innovation agreement between PPHS and IPS allow PPHS student performance data and enrollment to be counted within the district schools reporting, but offer autonomy and flexibility in the day-to-day operations of the school. In return, IPS offers innovation schools support with buildings and services as agreed upon.

As part of the agreement, PPHS North will have access to space at IPS' Broad Ripple High School campus, 1115 Broad Ripple Avenue [H9 on map]. Student enrollment at PPHS North has been increasing since its inception in 2019, with the 2022-2023 school year projected to experience a significant increase. PPHS North students and staff will have access to classroom space, bathrooms and limited use of the gymnasium as needed. In addition to the space at Broad Ripple High School, PPHS North will continue to use its current space at 1405 Broad Ripple Avenue as both administrative and instructional space.

PPHS Executive Director Scott Bess explained, "This agreement is a big win for both parties. IPS will increase its high school enrollment and gain access to the strong academic results of the PPHS North students. PPHS North will be able to leverage the operational talent of IPS and, of course, the access to the Broad Ripple High School space will be a game changer for teachers and students. The majority of the student experience is hands-on and project-based, so having this extra space within Broad Ripple High School will empower our staff to create amazing projects and learning experiences without needing to worry about available space. The continued support of IPS means a lot, not only to myself and PPHS, but the Broad Ripple community as well."

Shatoya Ward, Chief of Operations and founding principal of PPHS Englewood, said,

"IPS has been a great partner with our Englewood location. Therefore, we are excited to extend the partnership with our PPHS North school located in the Broad Ripple neighborhood. Occupying a portion of Broad Ripple High School will provide opportunities for our students and families until we are able to transition into our permanent space."

This agreement is transitional as PPHS North will use the space in Broad Ripple High School for one year only, until the anticipated opening of their new building for the 2023-2024 school year. The building, proposed and built by Keystone Construction, will be a new mixed-use building development in the former Chase Bank lot at 6230 College Avenue [I2 on map]. This proposed new building will have dedicated space for Purdue Polytechnic High School's Indianapolis North campus, 69 apartments and additional parking.

Broad Ripple High School has begun a new academic into bringing Purdue Polytechnic into its storied location, which may inspire further academic endeavors into the historic community.