Discovery Charter School

800 Canonie Drive

School District

Discovery Charter School
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

charter

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 26, 2025

Engaging. Hands-on. Project-based learning school nestled in the National Forest. Values stewardship of nature.
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2024

The school used to be great until some recent administration changes. After that things he went downhill fast. Lots of bullying which nothing ever gets done about it. My child experienced a teacher bullying him and making false accusations. We removed our child mid year due to this. Faculty did not want to listen to the fact that their teacher was a bully. They did nothing to protect our child. Do not send your children here.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2023

School is left a mess each night. If it wasn't for the cleaning crew that school would be crawling with bugs from all the food that they leave on the floor! There is no order and the teachers do not clean up after themselves nor do they require their students to clean up.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2023

Hindsight's 20/20 and looking back, I should have pulled my daughter out mid-October. It's beginning of kinder and I learn that whenever she sees her 5th grade brother in the halls, she runs over and gives him a hug. Her teacher effectively disciplined this out of her, and I'm not encouraging disruptiveness, just a gentle reminder that all our area preschools strongly encouraged hugs and even required hand-holding on field trips. Note: this Kinder year was 2018/2019 so just missed Covid when social distancing not yet a "thing". (Just sad, considering her brother had a wonderful kindergarten year there. Truly God Bless Miss Nepokoij wherever she landed!)Fast forward to mid October with me emailing to check on my daughter and the teacher responding everything was fine, great in fact! Then came that afternoon's carpool ride when I congratulated her on doing so great. The entire carpool spoke up at once "If she is doing so great then why is she standing by herself against the wall across the hallway from the rest of her class everyday ... while all our classes walk by?" Ummm what??? Turns out the teacher had isolated her for weeks across the hall from her class as the K thru 5th grade classes walked by from lunch to recess. I sent another email that day - always respectful - and no response. I learned that this was stopped the very next day but this marked the end of any communication from the teacher. Zero. including field trips, volunteering, and parent nights I attended. The response to my email to Admin requesting a meeting was that no meeting was necessary:(. I wanted to share a sampling of our experience at Discovery even though time has passed...same teacher and administration are there...as I looked for guidance from the reviews and found very little at that time. Concerns continued, more questionable situations, and enough was enough. We ended up leaving the school shortly before the end of the year but should have left sooner. Summary thoughts: Participate in carpool and believe what the kids say is happening, Know that the Love & Logic program done half heartedly ends up as sarcasm and shame, and Be Wary as no student or school is perfect...not supposed to be...and when enough within the school profess such, the students are the ones who suffer.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2023

We’ve attended since kinder but decided to leave this year primarily because of the superintendent. I couldn’t stand watching him first with the new vice principal and this is the second scandal for him. He also has major issues with addressing and resolving problems. Every school has problems but Discovery is the one school that won’t communicate with parents and avoids handling problems at all cost. The school leadership is sorely lacking. It’s a top down issue so now I hear teachers and even the new principal sounding just the superintendent. PAC does a great job at getting parents involved and organizing fundraising events but the vibe is one of being money hungry. It’s not PAC’s fault because they are nothing but kind and helpful It just feels like I am giving to the uncaring slimy superintendent rather than donating to an organization that is serving our community.If you’re choosing between Duneland and Discovery I would go with Duneland because Duneland schools do a better job at accomplishing Discovery’s mission statement of environmental and community stewardship. I was drawn to Discovery because of their mission statement but having experienced both schools Duneland does it better. Discovery does have a naturalist and sustainability committee (that do a good job) but Duneland has leaders in place that care more about the community and environmental concerns so they listen to concerns and address them. That’s the way it should work. Discovery’s sustainable committee can’t accomplish their goals because the superintendent at Discovery isn’t on the same page and just doesn’t care so that group has this gatekeeper that is hard to work around.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2022

Most teachers clearly don't care about their job. Would not recommend!!
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2022

In my opinion I love this school. The teachers are so nice and they help.
Submitted by parent on July 18, 2021

My oldest has been going to this school since she was in kindergarten. She is now a middle schooler there and will not be returning this year. I have noticed a negative change over the years and they are in reality no better then a public school. If you don’t contribute financially to help them and have a issue (I.e. bullying, help with a school issue, ect.) they ignore you and your child. I loved this school for years but now the teaching from teachers, punishment for bullies, the organization of the school and how they teach has gone downhill. Even my kids don’t love it like they use to. If your child gets bullied be prepared for them to not do anything about it. I do not recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2021

If your child is docile doesn’t play sports you don’t mind being the bus service and don’t care that your child eats trash and you have no plans on your child going to college Discovery is perfect for you. They have a reputation of bullying since the doors opened and if your child fights back or speaks up he /she is in trouble by the staff. The gym and the sports facilities are the worst all the way to eighth grade they are held in the same cafeteria the horrible school lunches are served. The teachers are lazy and arrogant if you have a college education you will be shocked to know that they have one. One star because they make you pick atleast one.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2020

In the beginning I would have given 5 stars with no problems. The past 2-3 years, this institution has earned itself 1 star in my opinion.
Submitted by student on February 05, 2019

They are too nature focused and barely meet the state standards. The teachers are inexperienced and the kids with disabilities are not cared for properly.
Submitted by other on April 12, 2017

We love our first year at Discovery. Great school. Wonderful philosophy and teaching the children sustainability! Not to mention, Miss Gustafson is an amazing kindergarten teacher. She makes the class fun and the kids are learning so much! We truly appreciate her.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2016

Excellent school our kindergartener loves school..this was definitely not expected due to his Asbergers diagnosis..he had never been in a school atmosphere before discovery so we expected a difficult transition because of his attachment issues..not only does he love school but he has made amazing advancements in speech therapy, reading, and math. I highly recommend discovery charter school!
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2015

Things I love about Discovery: Family oriented-parents are encouraged to volunteer. Kindergarten teachers are amazing-my son learned to read and is now reading at 3rd grade level in 1st grade! They also make learning fun and genuinely love the kids! Emphasis on healthy eating and Environmental learning- teaching the kids to recycle, conserve, compost, serve only healthy, organic lunches, very consciencous of nut allergies. Great communication! It is done via email mostly-check it daily! Paperless is enviorentally better! Rated number one charter school in Indiana three years in a row I believe. EXCELLENT drama club-the school plays are very well done! THINGS I DISLIKE: Class room size has 23 children per class with no assistance. I feel my son has been overlooked at times. It's a long school day and my son complains regularly it's too long. The half day on Wednsday is nice but I think the kids would do better with a shorter day all week. No bus service even though it's a public school. Lots of promises made for the future building of the school but yet to see any changes after 3 years of being there. Overall I think it's a great school!
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2015

My child has be going to Discovery since it opened in 2010. Things I love about the school: the connection with nature, the outdoor classroom, the way in which academics are presented. Creativity is encouraged. The staff members are very caring, yet firm. The school is very organized with dispensing information to families. But the very, very best part is...all three of the kindergarten teachers are excellent and they make kindergarten fun!! They also help produce very smart and creative 5 & 6 year olds.
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2015

I love this school, my kids have been attending this school since it opened and we love it! Not only do they have a hands on approach, they have healthy foods, and yeah kids about composting during lunch. I could not say enough great things about this school! ;-)
Submitted by parent on December 23, 2013

I have been at Discovery for three years and I am greatly impressed by the families, teachers, staff and administration. Discovery continues to be one of the top schools in the state due to the dedication of the Discovery community. It is sad, however, that some parents think that because it is a school of choice, they do not have to follow the rules in place for their child's safety. The previous reviewer has not presented a true representation of the school. The volunteer policy, available on the website, is in place for the protection of all of the students. The $1 dress down days are used as a fundraiser to help lower the price of the yearly middle school trip to Washington D.C. There is an excellent volunteer art program in place that comes into the classroom twice a month. As far as the principal dressing as a clown? I have not seen that one. However, I have seen him dress as The Conductor, The Lorax, Waldo, a hot dog and freeze in a Fall Fest dunk tank. Discovery is an amazing school and I feel privileged to be a part of the community that has been created there.
Submitted by parent on December 20, 2013

I agree with the parents review about the ruling families of Discovery & how money orientated It is.The form asking what you could contribute was out of hand! The new principal also likes to ignore issues. I am very unimpressed with him and the lack of organization is rampant! If you are not checking your email hourly you'll miss a lot of info, a lot of emails come the same or next day or they completely fail to share important info at all. Example; Holiday party several people weren't allowed in due to lack of a back ground check but nothing was sent out letting parents know to check their status so they could attend the party. Also there is no art program in place. individual expression is frowned on even though the principal dresses like a clown. The dress code has become a big focus this year and they claim its so there is no problem with the rich and poor competing with fashion, yet they charge a dollar for dress down days? Which is a two fold problem 1. if you don't have a lot of $ then how can you pay? 2.what sort of message does charging a child to be themselves send? There are many things that needs improving and the schools communication skills is # 1 on that list.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2013

Another Year... And our 7th grader... still LIKES going to school.( No not getting up.). but going in and coming out... he is smiling! His scores are very good. The teachers know HIM... he is not just a number. They are invested in his education.. It's an outstanding environment, with outstanding, staff, outstanding kids & families. A WOW SCHOOL.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2013

We are in our third year at Discovery and love so many things about it - high academics, dedicated and creative teachers and especially a friendly atmosphere. The new leadership at the school is doing a lot to strengthen the unique aspects of the school's mission. Our kids are thriving and we are so excited about the future of the school! It keeps getting better every year!