Education

One of Indy’s favorite sons paid his hometown a huge compliment: “That city gave me a free primary and secondary education richer and more humane than anything I would get from any of the five universities I attended,” Kurt Vonnegut said. As a foreshadowing of his career to come, Vonnegut was a sometime editor of The Daily Echo at Shortridge High School, the nation’s first and longest-running high school daily, in print from 1898 to 1981. Of course, the Indianapolis-born Vonnegut (1922–2007) went on to become the acclaimed author of award-winning novels such as Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle.

Education has long been an important cornerstone of Indianapolis. Indiana’s state constitution of 1816 was the first in the United States to provide for a system of free public schools from the elementary to the university level. However, such a plan proved far too grandiose for a pioneer society. No funding was available for such a system. Most of the voters of that era didn’t favor taxation for education. Then along came a man named Caleb Mills. “A disciplined mind and cultivated heart are elements of power,” Mills said. A prominent educator, Mills was determined to see free public education offered to all. He finally prevailed. In 1847 the people of Indiana voted in favor of public schools. A tax levy of 12.5 cents per $100 assessed valuation of property tax was established. In 1854 Indianapolis incorporated its school system.

Vonnegut’s alma mater was the first free high school in the state. Opened in 1862, it was called Indianapolis High School and the first superintendent was Abram C. Shortridge, who made it possible for African Americans to attend public school. The school was renamed in his honor—Shortridge High School—in 1897. Shortridge eventually outgrew its downtown location on the Circle and moved to new facilities at 34th and Meridian Streets in 1927. Despite the Great Depression and other problems, Shortridge continued to maintain high standards and to offer excellent extracurricular programs. The school had a radio station, orchestra, championship sports teams, and English Department reading list that featured such classics as Ibsen, Chekhov, Poe, and Woolf. Shortridge was honored as one of the nation’s top high schools in both Time and Newsweek in 1957. Racked by racial strife in the 1960s, Shortridge struggled to stay open but closed its doors in 1981. Reopened as a middle school in 1987, Shortridge was tapped in 2009 to serve as a magnet school for grades 6 through 12, with a special concentration in the study of law and government.

In 1895 the city’s second high school opened as Manual Training School during a time when manual training was an innovation. The school was among the first institutions in the United States to accommodate vocational as well as academic instruction. Charles Emmerich was the school’s first principal and is credited with introducing the manual arts in the fashion of German schools. In 1960 the school was renamed Emmerich Manual High School in his honor. The school relocated to its present location at 2405 Madison Ave. in 1953.

Improving the schools of Indianapolis has been an ongoing priority and a struggle, particularly in today’s dire economy. Indianapolis is now home to the state’s largest school district—Indianapolis Public Schools—along with an excellent system of religious and private schools and an impressive roster of colleges and universities. Some of those are spotlighted in this chapter. Like Vonnegut, Hoosiers remain loyal to their beloved alma maters and many make it a tradition to follow their high school teams and other school activities long after their school days are past.