Modoc, Indiana, a rural community in Union Township, once threatened with closure because of its small size – has partnered with K12 Inc. to open a public virtual school, Indiana Digital Learning School (INDLS), which has been the savior of the struggling district.
According to NBC News which covered this hopeful story, the school not only brought people back to the community but enrollment in this novel school actually surpasses demand.
“When you eliminate the school, we’ve seen what happens to these small towns,” said school board Vice President Christa Ellis. “Those towns have died over the years. We didn’t want…our community to die.”
It hasn’t, and it won’t. Thanks to the partnership with K12, Union’s enrollment has grown from 256 students in 2016-17 to 937 students in 2017-18 and is projected to top 1,000 next year. And, with hundreds of Indiana kids on a waiting list for enrollment in INDLS (and many families attending the numerous “EnRolling Skate Events” K12 held throughout the state in May) the future of Modoc, and the kids receiving an innovative opportunity for learning, looks bright.