Indiana is doubling down on personalized education. And this time, it’s not a sweeping statewide initiative—it’s a school in the woods.

About 30 miles east of Indianapolis, tucked inside Nameless Creek Youth Camp, a tiny school called Nature’s Gift Microschool will open its doors this fall. The goal? Give rural families an option they’ve long been missing.

With just a handful of classrooms, no traditional grade boundaries, and a lot of fresh air, the school is part of a growing movement that’s quietly rewriting the playbook for public education in Indiana.

What’s a microschool—and why now?

Microschools aren’t new. They’ve popped up in different forms over the past decade, often born out of frustration with rigid public systems. But Indiana’s approach is different: it’s formal, it’s funded, and it’s growing fast.

These schools operate like public charters—state-funded, tuition-free—but at a dramatically smaller scale. Think fewer than 100 kids. Mixed-age classrooms. Teachers acting more like guides than lecturers.

“You don’t need a 100,000 square foot building in a town of 800 people,” said Scott Bess, CEO of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center and a board member of the Indiana Microschool Collaborative (IMC). “You just need a place where kids feel seen.”

That model is especially appealing in rural communities, where choices are often scarce.

The first wave is already here

Nature’s Gift Microschool is just one of several schools either opening or in development under the Indiana Microschool Collaborative, which was formed to meet parent demand across different counties.

According to Bess, each microschool will be “hyper-local.” That means no one-size-fits-all models, no top-down design.

“The parents ask. The community asks. We show up,” he said.

Here’s how the new model works:

• Public charter status means schools receive state and federal dollars like traditional public schools.

• Flexible teaching roles shift away from rigid lesson plans toward coaching and mentorship.

• Multi-age classrooms let older students mentor younger ones, while teachers adapt learning to individual pace.

• Lean infrastructure allows more money to go straight into classroom needs, not admin overhead.

Why rural families are paying attention

In places like Hancock County, families have historically had limited choices—usually just one district school, or homeschooling. Private school isn’t always affordable. And charter networks tend to stay in urban areas.

That’s changing.

Eastern Hancock Superintendent George Philhower, a key backer of Nature’s Gift, said the idea grew out of conversations with parents who had simply opted out.

“They weren’t angry. They just didn’t feel heard,” Philhower said. “This is a way to meet them where they are—literally.”

He believes the microschool’s setting, in a wooded outdoor camp, will appeal to students who don’t thrive in fluorescent-lit hallways or 30-desk classrooms.

“It’s more personal. It’s more flexible. And it’s still accountable,” he added.

Teachers, too, are buying in

Despite Indiana’s well-documented teacher shortage, the microschool pilot isn’t struggling to recruit.

Bess said the schools are attracting veteran teachers burned out by bureaucracy—and younger educators excited to innovate.

“Teachers want freedom. They want to work with kids, not fight software or fill out ten forms,” he said.

In the microschool setup, teachers become facilitators. No daily lesson planning marathons. No classrooms packed with 30 kids.

“It’s more like being a coach in a learning community than being a lecturer with a whiteboard,” Bess said.

That shift may sound radical—but for some, it’s a relief.

Can students still join clubs or sports?

Microschools won’t offer full-scale athletics or marching bands. But that doesn’t mean kids are on the outside.

The Collaborative is working with local districts to allow microschool students to participate in extracurriculars, from robotics to basketball. That collaboration will be key to the model’s success in more traditional communities.

And interest is climbing.

“We expect to open hundreds of microschools across the state in the next 10 years,” Bess said.

How Indiana is funding the future

It’s not just grassroots momentum. Lawmakers are behind it too.

The state’s latest two-year budget includes more than two dozen K–12 reforms. Much of that is geared toward flexibility, choice, and adapting to student needs.

That means microschools don’t need to scrounge for funds. They’re eligible for per-pupil state and federal funding, just like any public school.

Here’s how it breaks down:

For small towns, this could mean education is finally catching up with reality.

What’s next?

The Purdue Polytechnic High School Lab School, which opened in Indianapolis in 2023, now enrolls about 20 students. Other sites are already underway in southern Indiana, northern farming communities, and near tribal lands.

“There’s no template,” Bess said. “Each school reflects its people, its needs, and its space. That’s the beauty of it.”

As microschools roll out, one thing’s clear—Indiana is no longer relying on size to measure school success.