From first-generation college students to graduates returning to tutor the next class behind them, Christel House is building something bigger than test scores. This story explores how a public charter school network is creating real pathways for students through relentless support, strong relationships, and a belief that every student deserves access to opportunity.
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There's a former student that principal Paige Kendrick still thinks about.
He came from a construction family; everyone in it worked in the industry, and that was always the plan for him too. He was a high achiever and a smart student, but college just wasn't on his radar because no one in his family had ever gone. It was never something he had considered for himself.
Then he was pulled out of class and into the counselor’s office; he had been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Indianapolis. He'd later say it was the day his life changed. He went to college, graduated, and found his career in the finance department at Eli Lilly. Even after all of his success, he found the time to come back to where he got his start at Christel House to tutor students at after-school study tables.
Now there is a new tradition in his family. Several years later, his younger brother followed him. Same high school, same scholarship, same university, and, as luck would have it, he also ended up accepting a position at Eli Lilly. A whole new family tradition, started in a single generation.
This is the kind of story that makes Christel House special.
Since its first graduating class in 2014, Christel House Watanabe High School has maintained a 100% college acceptance rate. Not as a nice-to-have, but as a graduation requirement. Every student leaves with an acceptance letter to a four-year university, and the application costs are covered for students who need it.
The goal isn’t that every graduate goes on to college, but it IS to make sure that “I didn’t know I could” is never a reason a student doesn’t pursue something they are interested in. Principal Paige Kendrick is clear about this: choosing not to go to college is a completely different thing from never having had the option. Their vision is to make sure that every student has as many possible pathways to success as possible, and opening doors that students might have previously thought were inaccessible is a big part of that vision.
One of the tools that makes this vision real is a partnership with the University of Indianapolis. Students who earn an Indiana honors diploma get full tuition, plus access to supplemental scholarships that cover room and board, books, and additional fees. For first-generation students who never imagined a private university as a realistic possibility, it genuinely changes the math.
Behind that headline number is a lot of amazing people who truly believe in the success of their students.
College & Careers Administrator Kara Moreland, who has spent more than 12 years with the network, runs a process created so no student falls through the cracks on financial aid or college applications. Every eligible family gets a one-on-one meeting and follow-up communication until their FAFSA is done. Every Christel House student is enrolled in a dual-credit course and a CTE pathway early in their educational journey because figuring out what you're passionate about has to come before you're asked to choose it.
As a small school, the individual attention and support for students can quietly fade as enrollment grows. The Christel House College & Careers team went the other way. As the class has grown, so has the team. The goal was never about checking boxes or managing a caseload; it’s about making sure that every student has someone who actually knows them in their corner when they’re figuring out their future. And the support doesn't stop there.
Christel House stays in contact with graduates for five years. Monthly coaching in the first year, less frequently after that, but the relationship stays open. Financial help is available for graduates who stay connected, like car repair, a gas card, or groceries during a hard week. The kinds of things that derail first-generation students from finishing what they started.
That post-graduation relationship is built while students are still in high school, on purpose. Staff get to know students well enough that when a college junior needs support, they already know who to call.
At Christel House, graduates don't just say they loved their school; they come back. The media center specialist, a math teacher, the family engagement coordinator, soccer coaches, and more are all Christel House alumni. A former student who's now a chemistry major came back on short notice to tutor a senior who was struggling before a big exam. The hallway outside the high school is lined with photos of every senior student and the colleges they were accepted to. This year, students even started writing notes of encouragement on each other's posters.
Despite their success, Christel House doesn't describe what they do as groundbreaking, and in some ways, it isn't. The playbook they use for helping students find their path after high school is actually pretty simple: meet families where they are, build the financial aid process into the school year, don't let a bigger class become an excuse to do less, and don't define student success as one single path.
The rest is just the hard work of actually doing it.
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