FAQs

Students should be dropped off between 8:00 – 8:15 a.m., during which time they will go directly to the cafeteria or classroom for breakfast. We stop serving breakfast at 8:20, after which time any student who arrives is considered tardy. Most days, teachers escort students to their classrooms by 8:30 to start academic work.

Academy students (K5- 5th grade) may be picked up between 3:00 – 3:15 p.m. (Preschool (K4) children should be picked up between 12:30 – 12:45 p.m.). For the safety of every student in our school, we will only release students to a parent or an authorized adult (via written or verbal permission and valid picture ID at time of pickup).

We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise and may delay picking up your student on time. If parents must be late (after 3:20), we ask that they contact the school as soon as possible and do their best to communicate with us so we can keep your student informed and safe. A failure to communicate and pick up your student prior to 3:20 p.m. may result in a fine.

For more information about school hours, attendance, holidays, and inclement weather closing procedures, please consult your Student/Parent Handbook.

What is the yearly tuition cost to parents?
Shepherd Community Academy desires to provide quality education at an affordable cost to our neighborhood families. A portion of tuition is paid through School Choice vouchers (for qualifying students) and Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGO) funding, making the yearly tuition cost for parents $100 for Preschool students and $200 for all other Academy students (plus application and technology fees). As additional assistance, families with multiple children enrolled may receive a multi-sibling discount of $30 for each additional child in a family (up to four children) after the first child is enrolled. Without the generosity donors giving SGO funding and School Choice vouchers, the actual tuition cost of Shepherd Community Academy is $4,600 for Preschool (K4) and $9,100 for Kindergarten (K5) through 5th grade. Learn more about tuition and fees here.

What happens if I can’t pay? 
We understand that financial hardships may arise, and financial challenges are a very real concern for the families we serve. You are not alone in this we want to make every effort to keep your student in our school. Parents who are unable to pay due to financial hardship may speak to school administrators about creating a payment plan, and we will do whatever we can to help.

*Shepherd Community Academy does reserve the right to deny enrollment to students whose parents are unwilling to pay agreed-upon tuition or payments.

We want all of our parents to be actively involved in the education of their students and with the school. Your involvement is vital to helping your student be successful. You can be involved in your child’s education in several important ways. First, make sure that they are ready to learn. This means making sure that your child’s basic needs of safety, food, and clothing are taken care of. It also means that students should get plenty of sleep each night. Parents can also reinforce the value and importance of school with their students so that students embrace learning. This happens through reading, talking about how you can help them, listening to their needs, and working alongside them on homework with encouragement.

A second way to be involved is to communicate with your child’s teacher. Be sure to be connected to Jupiter to ask questions, receive feedback, and stay connected with what is happening in your child’s classroom.

We serve the same student population as neighboring schools, and therefore our demographics will be similar to public elementary schools in the 46201 & 46203 zip codes. Our Shepherd Community Academy students consist of the following demographics*:

• Race: 90% Hispanic, 6% Black/African American, 13% White
• Gender: 44% male, 56% female
• Income: 89% qualify for free lunch, but through grant funding, lunch is free for all of our students.

*Demographics of our student population change from year to year. These demographics are based on our most recent school year data.

Shepherd Community Academy is a unique school that brings wrap-around care to not only the student but the family as a whole. We are intentional, making sure each student has a relationship with a caring adult, and addressing student needs holistically, realizing that in order for students to be successful in learning, other needs of safety, belonging, and food must also be met. Through our Community Center’s leveraging of partnerships, we work to meet the needs of our students so that they are empowered to be successful, lifelong learners.

We understand that every student learns differently. Therefore, we use a combination of materials to help our students succeed academically. The primary curriculum we use for reading is Magnetic Reading. Our primary math curriculum is Magnetic Math. Students also receive individualized instruction at their level through the I-Ready program. Our phonics instruction is based on the IMSE Orton Gillingham approach. In addition to these core subject areas, students are taught about science, social studies, Bible, art, music, health, PE, and STEM from a variety of other curriculum sources. See the specifics of our academic curriculum here.

We know that technology is an important part of learning and creating knowledgeable students for the future both in and out of the classroom. Our goal is to empower our students with the technology skills they need to find a career in modern society. Because of this, we incorporate technology from Preschool through 5th grade, giving every student an opportunity for technology-based learning. Every student from kindergarten through fifth grade is assigned a personal laptop to use during their time at Shepherd. Our preschoolers have tablets they use in case of an e-learning day. Our teachers utilize technology in the classroom through interactive opportunities, videos, a custom computer lab, a STEM lab, and more.

While we would love to welcome everyone to our school, the mission of Shepherd Community Center is to break the cycle of poverty on the near Eastside of Indianapolis, specifically in the 46201 and 46203 zip codes. Because of this, our enrollment is limited to families who live in those two areas of the city.

We want to make the enrollment proces as simple as possible for your student while also fulfilling the required steps with the IDOE. To enroll, please first reach out to the Shepherd Community Academy office at (317) 375-0203 or academy@shepherdcommunity.org to find out if we have spots available for your student(s). If there are available spots, we will schedule you and your child to meet with us for testing to determine the grade level they should enter. After that, you will complete online registration paperwork and have an in-person meeting to finalize your child’s enrollment. If there are spots available, we will enroll all school year, but we recommend you also view our enrollment and registration dates to try to give your child a full school year’s worth of learning. Learn more about enrollment and registration dates here.

We love referrals! We want to connect those you care about to the same loving, quality education your child is receiving. If a referral friend wants to attend Shepherd Community Academy, ask them to contact the Academy office by filling out our contact form, calling (317) 375-0203, or emailing academy@shepherdcommunity.org. If you would like, you may also reach out to us and give us their contact information. 

Yes! We believe that the cycle of poverty cannot be broken without hope, which is ultimately found in having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We integrate Biblical lessons throughout our day across all subject areas. In addition, we have a daily Bible class where your children will learn about God and His Word, and a weekly chapel where we come together as a school family to worship.

In addition to being a faith-based school, there are two primary differences. First, we know your children. Our goal is to ensure that every child has a loving, caring adult to support them at school. Many of our students have several. Students are greeted by name each morning, have multiple points of contact with adults who care about them throughout the day, and are sent home with a positive goodbye at the end of the day. 

Second, we provide wrap-around support through Shepherd Community Center to empower your children to become lifelong learners. We provide counseling, food assistance, career coaching for parents, and more to ensure you and your child have what you need to succeed in and out of the classroom.

The school day starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. Occasionally, we have early dismissal days, where students are dismissed at 1:00 p.m. but we will be sure to communicate those times with plenty of advance notice.

We want to keep you “in the know” about what is happening in the classroom and at Shepherd. We do this by communicating in a variety of formats for our parents and guardians. We communicate with parents through the phone and our school information system, Jupiter Ed, which can translate any message into Spanish. In addition, some of our teachers use the Seesaw app to communicate with their students and parents. We also send home regular, bilingual newsletters, notes, and reminders to parents in the car line. This year, we will be implementing a weekly communication envelope that parents should check, sign, and return to school.

• A positive, healthy self-esteem
• Unity, comradery, and a sense of belonging and purpose
• Character development rather than physical appearances
• Academic challenges versus socioeconomic status

Students are to wear the following apparel as it is intended to be worn and sized to fit. The best advice is: “When in doubt, rule it out.”

Following is a list of appropriate and inappropriate dress:

• Shorts should be no shorter than three inches from the top of the knee. Silky or mesh athletic shorts or biking shorts are not allowed.
• Dresses and skirts should be of modest length (no shorter than three inches from the top of the knee) as determined by school officials.
• Jackets must be worn over dresses. Straps on dresses/tops should be no thinner than two inches. Off-the-shoulder tops or dresses are not allowed. 
• Leggings or closed-fitting knit pants can only be worn under a modest-length dress, skirt, or shorts.
• No students will be allowed to wear tank tops, halter tops, tube tops, or midriffs. 
• Students may not wear transparent tops without adequate undergarments. No tops cut low in the front, back, or side will be allowed. 
• When arms are extended above the head, no skin should show between the bottom of the blouse and the top of the pants or skirt.

For more information about appropriate dress, please see our complete dress code in the Student Handbook.

Shepherd Community Center offers Before- and After-School care for 1st through 12th-grade students. These fun community programs include food, homework time, interest clubs, chapel, and more. Learn more about our out-of-school care programs here.