RICHMOND, Ind. – Indiana University East has announced the launch of its new microschool model for the 2026-2027 academic year in partnership with the Indiana Microschool Collaborative.

The microschool, which will operate as a public school on IU East’s campus, is designed to provide students with a smaller and more individualized learning environment while allowing them to earn college credit during high school.

Associate Dean of Education Jamie Buffington-Adams said discussion about the initiative started in 2025. “Indiana Microschool Collaborative approached us around 11 months ago and said they were interested in opening a space here,” Buffington-Adams said.

Microschools typically have around 100 students or fewer, allowing learning experiences to be tailored to individual students’ needs and interests. IU East is currently accepting applications for students entering ninth, tenth and eleventh grades.

“What we’re looking at is a four-year experience where…ideally you come in as a freshman and you spend four years earning your high school diploma while also engaging with college faculty and taking college credit-bearing coursework.”

Students enrolled in the microschool could earn up to 50 college credits while attending classes on IU East’s campus.

Unlike a traditional high school schedule, Adams said the microschool will focus on cross-curricular and project-based learning rather than students moving from class to class throughout the day.

She explained that lessons may combine subjects such as history, English, arts and science into larger topic-based projects designed to help students engage more deeply with material.

“Kids need different things. Some kids need smaller settings, some kids need more challenge, and some kids need to not move from bell to bell or room to room,” she said.

Adams said the microschool is intended to complement, not replace, traditional public schools.

“I think that’s been one of the points of misconception or misunderstanding is that this is somehow like ‘we don’t believe in the public schools,’” she said. “This is actually a public school.”

The school will also accept students with Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, 504 plans and English language learners.

IU East plans to host two open houses in June where families can tour classrooms, ask questions and learn more about the program before making enrollment commitments.

Following enrollment, families will participate in interviews with staff members to discuss students’ strengths, interests, goals and potential barriers to success.

“That will be the beginning of a relationship we can document in ways that helps us build an individual path for each student,” Adams said. “Some of this is about building self-directed learners and kids who can advocate for themselves.”

One challenge the microschool still faces is transportation. The school will not initially provide transportation services, meaning parents or guardians will need to arrange rides for students.

“We have some phenomenal partners and friends in the community who are going to help us think around how to help parents set up carpooling and other solutions,” Adams said.

The microschool will also not offer traditional athletics during its first year because of its small size and limited infrastructure, though students may have opportunities to participate in club or intramural activities.

Adams said staff members are open to working alongside families and community members as the microschool continues to grow. She added the model will likely continue evolving during its first years as administrators work to address barriers students and families may face.

Adams said IU East will be the first university-connected microschool to partner with eh Indiana Microschool Collaborative. She said she hopes the initiative inspires more innovative approaches to education throughout the region.

“I’m hoping it stretches people’s imagination,” she said.

She added that one of the goals of the microschool is helping students see themselves as capable of succeeding in higher education and future careers.

“I just want kids to feel empowered. I just want them to realize that they have a ton of potential.”