Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities

Tippecanoe was more than a school to it's students but more a home, with teachers who really cared about each child and want everyone to succeed, and were always willing to help if that meant giving up their lunch hour or coming in before school or stay after it was never an issue, I learned and was able to grow and always feel welcomed safe and happy. Tippe is facing budget issues but never the less I highly recommend it, although it is very small and different from most schools with it being a k-8 so it is a great to school to start at when younger, and starting at the middle school level would be changeling. I love Tippe :) -former student

a great school facing so hard times but with lots of amazing teachers all trying their very best to make it a safe and fun learning place!

As educators ourselves, my husband and I value a curriculum with an arts and humanities focus to help our daughter be a more well rounded person. Tippecanoe has brought out interests and talents my daughter didn't even know she had. We couldn't be happier with her experience there.
--Submitted by a parent

My family loves this school. Besides receiving an outstanding classroom education, the school offers numerous extracurricular activities. They have an Excellent music program, during and after school art programs, and still offer gym class to the students. The teachers are dedicated and devote much of their free time to helping the children succeed. The office is well run and the head secretary is organized, helpful, and patient. Before sending our kids to Tippe, my wife and I had sent the kids to 3 previous schools. We feel we've finally found a place where they can learn in a comfortable and creative environment.
--Submitted by a parent

Tippe is doing the best with what they have. I like the fact the there is one class per grade. I don't see any problems with Middle school and grade school children being in the same building . I think it helps keep the middle schoolers grounded and gives the younger kids someone to look up to. I was a student at Tippe once and it's nice to see some of the same teachers there as well as some of the then parents return to work there. My son has made drastic improvements since starting at Tippe. I was surprised by the amount of work given to the K4 children, as first. However, they proved that they are not to be underestimated. I am very proud of my son, the staff, and the student body at Tippecanoe. I have and will continue to recommend this school to every parent I meet.
--Submitted by a parent

'No nonsense' school is right, but for a child in 4 or 5k, a little overboard. Expecting a 5 year old to stand up and give a memorized presentation can be a bit much. If your child chooses to act like a five year old by speaking to another child during class, or possibly getting upset and crying over anything, expect a call to your work place! The class sizes are so large (imagine close to 30 little ones) that the teachers seem to be a bit overwhelmed and simply send kids to the office or call their parents to do any repremanding. High maintenance at the least. When I was in kindergarten, kids talked, kids cried, kids had fun...heck, some kids even peed their pants. Don't you dare let these things happen at tippe! Disappointed.
--Submitted by a parent

Seemed like a nice school but very crowded. I would have chosen this school if it did not have the middle school aged kids. They were nice enough but 8th graders don't belong with 4 year olds. I guess I am traditional. I like the philosophy but I am not sure it would work in the long run. They seem to dependent on grants

Outstanding curriculum provided in a caring no nonsense environment by a dedicated faculty and admin.
--Submitted by a parent

Tippe is probably one of the best MPS grade schools, but still only just over average. The school has almost too many kids for the space, and either needs to move and expand or reduce to get it right. The teachers get to know each child by name though, and there is a lot of parent involvement in the classes and in sports. Class sizes are large, about 27:1 in most cases. The arts program is impressive. Some phenomenal teachers (Ms. Davis! Ms. Borden!); the principal is making average decisions for the school. If you have high achieving or gifted learners, look into other options as curriculum adjustments for challenging them have been non-existent for my three kids. After three different meetings with my daughter's teacher, the response to our repeated requests for harder math work was to not give her any math homework at all! Frustrating!
--Submitted by a parent

Academics at Tippe are the best. Check out the test scores for yourself. Tippe is an Arts and Humanities school, which was the reason why I chose to send my children there. However, with all the budget cuts, my concern is we may loose this benefit. Also, we will be loosing SAGE for the 2006-2007 school year which is a big concern, since each classroom currently has a minimum of 30 kids. The teachers at Tippe make the school what it is. I just hope without the SAGE program, Tippe has other options for teaching the large classroom sizes. I would hate to pull my kids out of Tippe due to the inappropriate classroom sizes. My experience with Tippe has been wonderful; my only complaint is the lack of communication. As a parent, I feel the communication at Tippe is minimal. This is the one thing they need to improve on.
--Submitted by a parent