Bilingual curriculum preps IN youngsters for higher learning, workforce

By Terri Dee • Indiana News Service

Indiana’s high school class of 2025 recorded the highest graduation rate since 2022. One Indianapolis school is now preparing elementary and middle schoolers for a multicultural environment before they reach this important education milestone.

According to U+ Education, bilingual children have enhanced cognitive development, improved problem solving, and higher academic performance. Global Prep Academy is Indiana’s only dual-language immersion charter school for kindergartners and middle schoolers. Founder and CEO Mariama Shaheed, PhD, said some inquisitive parents assume the school’s curriculum prioritizes one culture over another.

“At kindergarten and first grade, anyone who comes to Global Prep, African-American or Hispanic, is automatically in the 50-50 program – half-day English and half-day Spanish,” said Shaheed. “Once families are a part of the community, they better understand what it is we’re trying to do for all kids, to lift all cultures and all identities.”

The instructor ratio is 40% Hispanic and 30% Black. As for students, 52% are Hispanic and 31% are Black.

A large majority of the students live within Indianapolis Public School boundaries. The academy also attracts students from surrounding cities, including Greenwood, Carmel, and Brownsburg.

While Indianapolis charter schools and the public school system are facing declining enrollment, overcrowding has been an issue at Global Prep Academy for three years. Current enrollment figures stand at 850 for pre-K through 8th grade, and the building is designed to hold only around 600 students.

Shaheed said she is appreciative of the local support they’ve seen since they opened nearly a decade ago.

“I think the other piece is a real focus on community,” said Shaheed, “between our community here in Riverside, but then also families, our staff, our students, and a commitment to meeting kids where they are.”

Groundbreaking began last year on a new site in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood with a projected move-in date of August 2026. The state-of-the-art facility is anticipated to hold a maximum of 325 kids, Shaheed adds, and 92% of parents have already committed to enrolling their kids at the new building.