Monarca Academy is leveling up. The west-side charter will add a ninth grade this fall after a major philanthropic boost, school leaders say. The school launched in 2022 to serve Latino and immigrant families and has grown quickly in three years. Leaders say the new money will let the school layer counseling and intensive tutoring into its program as it becomes a high school.
According to Chalkbeat Indiana, Monarca received a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment that will be used over five years to support the expansion and related student supports. The outlet reports the school has grown from 41 sixth-graders in 2022 to about 217 students across grades 6–8 this year, and that over 76% of students are English learners, according to state enrollment records.
Founder Francisco Valdiosera keeps the vision concrete for families. “I show them that picture, and I say, ‘This is what I want for your children,’” he told Chalkbeat. Founding Principal Felicia Sears told the outlet that culturally centered programming, including ballet folklórico and capoeira, has helped students feel more connected to school.
What the grant will pay for
School staff say a large portion of the grant will pay for a counselor focused on both academic and emotional supports, along with intensive tutoring aimed at multilingual learners. As reported by IBJ, the funding will also help the school add a college-and-career readiness coordinator in the future. The award builds on a $200,000 Lilly Endowment grant Monarca received in 2025, per the school’s website.
Where Monarca will grow
Monarca operates inside Northwest Middle School at 5525 W. 34th St and plans to remain in that space as it grows. Indianapolis Public Schools lists Monarca among its Innovation Network schools, a model that gives charters flexibility while keeping them inside the district portfolio.
Local stakes and next steps
The expansion arrives as state lawmakers have floated a plan to create an Indianapolis Public Education Corporation that would decide which schools occupy IPS buildings, a change Monarca leaders say they are watching closely. As reported by MirrorINDY, school leaders say they feel confident Monarca will have a place in the building while it adds ninth grade this fall and later high school grades as allowed by its charter.
Monarca frames the growth through its pillars of ganas, comunidad and orgullo, language staff say they use to encourage students to celebrate their roots, per the school’s website. “They are in motion. They are becoming,” the school writes on its site.
