Eastern Hancock Superintendent George Philhower walks the halls at Eastern Hancock High School. He's one of the educational leaders in the state launching Indiana Microschool Collaborative. Tom Russo | Daily Reporter file photo
Eastern Hancock Superintendent George Philhower walks the halls at Eastern Hancock High School. He's one of the educational leaders in the state launching Indiana Microschool Collaborative. Tom Russo | Daily Reporter file photo
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Eastern Hancock Schools plans to launch one of the state’s first microschools as part of Indiana Microschool Collaborative (IMC). It is a new statewide K-12 public charter school that proponents say is designed to bring high-quality, community-based education to students across Indiana.

A microschool is a small, independent learning environment offering a personalized and flexible education. It’s a hybrid model blending elements of homeschooling, online learning and traditional schooling. Microschools are intentionally small, typically with fewer than 150 students, allowing for individualized attention and a more intimate learning environment.

The venture has been approved and support by the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Charter School Board. The IMC will open its doors in the fall of 2025 with its first learning sites in Hancock County and will enroll students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

“A traditional school can, say, have four or five hundred kids, but a microschool could be 25 or 50 or maybe even 150 kids,” Eastern Hancock Superintendent George Philhower said. “This initiative doesn’t take away from who we are — it builds on our strengths to serve more families, as Eastern Hancock will continue to operate just as it always has — as a traditional public school system dedicated to excellence, opportunity and community.”

While there are microschools in the state of Indiana and throughout the country, most are privately funded by parents. But this venture, Philhower noted, is the first publicly funded microschool network anywhere.

“Eastern Hancock is already 40% transfer, so we believe parents should have a say in what their student’s education looks like, because if a family can go shopping and decide what kind of cereal they want, what your kid’s school looks like is a much more important conversation,” Philhower said. “We’ve had lots of conversations with families who are choosing traditional school, home school, and some of them love those options, and virtual options, but many are choosing those because they are the only options for their kids. Now, they’ll have another choice. We feel like this is an option between home school and the traditional public school.”

Philhower will oversee the new school and work with a board composed of Scott Bess, a state board of education member; Kim Reier of Indiana Charter Innovation Center; Tom Vander Ark, board member of Getting Smart Collective and former executive director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; David Becker, First Internet Bank; and Eastern Hancock School Board members Jim Jackson and Steve Brock.

“The governance will be separate, so we will have a separate board,” Philhower said. “It’s kind of similar to how school foundations work, as they’ll have a separate 501(c)(3) board. There will be no impact for taxpayers, as the funding comes per student through the state. These charter schools do not get local property income tax.”

Bess has founded two school models and launched the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, Indiana’s charter association. He believes every student can thrive if the student attends a school designed for them.

‘Traditional schools do a wonderful job with most kids, but by nature they cannot be designed for each kid because they have to care for all kids,” Bess said. “The idea behind the microschool across the country is that something that is small, much more personalized and can accommodate the different needs and passions of each student can be more productive.”

Bess said in a microschool students don’t have to work at a breakneck pace, meaning each student’s pace can be dealt with on case-by-case basis.

“Some of the first students out of the gate for a microschool are those parents who have been home-schooling students,” Bess said. “With a microschool parents can have, say, someone who is an expert in elementary school reading or math teaching and working with their child instead of them doing it. These schools do a great job for the parent who wants a different environment than a normal district school, but they’ve tried home-schooling and found it is really hard.”

Unlike traditional schools that operate from a single campus, IMC is structured as a network of small, flexible microschools meeting in non-traditional spaces such as churches, community centers and even local businesses. These sites are designed to reflect the unique needs and values of the families and communities they serve.

“Launching IMC as a charter gives us the freedom to do things differently,” Philhower said. “We can personalize learning, use innovative spaces, and truly build around the needs of kids and families.”

Recent changes in state law give educators an opportunity to operate in new places, and Eastern Hancock leaders want to make the most of that opportunity for Hoosier families, Philhower noted.

Philhower said he likes that each IMC microschool will offer a blend of in-person instruction, high-quality academic resources and real-world learning experiences — delivered in a close-knit environment rooted in community.

Students will be expected to graduate with an Indiana diploma that meets all state requirements and may also earn Indiana Graduation Seals, including those highlighted in Gov. Mike Braun’s new automatic college admission initiative.

IMC leaders expect the collaborative to grow quickly, with the goal of serving many students across Indiana in the coming years. In addition to launching its own sites, the collaborative will offer shared service partnerships to existing schools and districts. Through these partnerships, students can participate in customized microschool experiences while remaining enrolled in their home district and earning their local diploma.

“This isn’t just about starting a new school,” Philhower said. “It’s about helping existing schools, educators and families re-imagine what learning can look like — together.”

Philhower noted they’re exploring options for where the microschool will be located locally. But, Philhower said, they could have a site for a microschool anywhere in Indiana. The school will be called the Indiana Microschool Collaborative, a statewide school with multiple learning sites.

“Each site could then have a unique name and unique identity,” Philhower said. “We’re also looking at partnerships with traditional schools.”

To answer questions and connect with those interested, Eastern Hancock leaders will conduct an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the Eastern Hancock High School library. Families, education entrepreneurs, community members and those who have a space in mind where a microschool could thrive are all encouraged to attend.
© 2025 Daily Reporter