Where it's Working: Lawrence County Independent Schools

In a second grade classroom in rural Bedford, Indiana, students spent their week competing in a Survivor-themed challenge. Teams chose their own mascots, which in true second-grade fashion were various Squishmallows, designed flags, earned points through academic and classroom challenges, and tracked their scores on bar graphs as the competition unfolded.

The energy in the room was immediate. Students were excited, fully engaged, and very excited to show off their team’s progress on the team bar chart on the board.

They were practicing data skills, building teamwork, and absorbing math concepts, not because they had to, but because they genuinely wanted to know how their team was doing and what they needed to make sure their team could win. It's a reminder of something every great teacher already knows: the lessons that stick are often the ones students don't realize they're learning.

At the end of the challenge unit, students headed outside to the LCIS nature area to build shelters for their Squishmallow mascots and compete in outdoor challenges using materials from the school's outdoor learning spaces. That blend of creativity, rigor, and hands-on learning captures what makes Lawrence County Independent Schools feel different, and why families choose it.

A Model Built Around the Whole Child

Founded in 2020 by parents, educators, and community members who wanted something different for Lawrence County kids, LCIS was built from the start around small class sizes and close relationships. Today, the school serves roughly 200 students in grades K–8. With a 13:1 student-to-adult ratio and an instructional assistant in every K-4 classroom, the school is intentionally structured so that no child gets lost in the shuffle.

For families who've found that their child thrives with more hands-on learning, a smaller community, stronger adult relationships, or a pace and approach that traditional settings don't always offer, LCIS was built with them in mind.

The school blends project-based and experiential learning, outdoor education, and deep personalization into a model that's designed to meet kids where they are and help them reach their full potential. 

Students Are Known Here

At LCIS, learning feels personal, and that's very intentional. Every student is seen as an individual and is cared for and known, not just by name, but by who they are and what they need. At LCIS, nearly 40% of students at the school have IEPs, and school leaders and teachers have creatively, and purposely, built systems to make sure every student gets the support they need to succeed. 

But what stands out most is that those individual supports aren't only reserved for the students who have IEPS, every single student gets the personalized support they need to be successful, whether through a traditional IEP or less formal personalized support by the teachers that truly know and care for them.

Students ready for more rigorous coursework get the challenge they need. Students who may struggle with an academic concept are given extra time and encouragement by adults they trust. Teachers adjust instruction in real time, and relationships are treated as an essential part of learning, not something separate from academics.

That family feeling is noticeable from the moment you walk through the door. Director Joanne Symcox knows students by name, stopping to check in with kids throughout the day. Teachers and staff members speak about their students and school with genuine excitement and pride.

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"This school doesn't work without a team that truly cares. You can have great systems and great curriculum, but if the adults in the building aren't showing up for kids every single day, none of it matters."

- Joanne Symcox, Director of Schools

Learning That Connects to the World

There's also a strong sense at LCIS that learning should feel meaningful, not abstract.

In the STEM lab, students were working on a project imagining what it would take to build a new civilization on another planet, thinking through questions about resources, infrastructure, and survival while weaving in writing, math, collaboration, and critical thinking. 

Outside, students learn in gardens, wooded trails, and outdoor play spaces that make learning feel active and connected to the world around them. Gardening projects, nature-based activities and outdoor exploration are woven into the school experience rather than treated as extras.

Investing in the Adults, Too

LCIS has invested heavily in the people supporting students every day.

The school has developed formalized partnerships with ABA providers and built staffing structures that allow students to receive individualized support throughout the day. In a rural community where staffing can be a challenge, LCIS has also partnered with Trine University and grant-funded programs to help instructional assistants pursue teacher certification while continuing to work in the school, strengthening the team while creating real opportunity for educators already rooted in the community.

What's Next

This upcoming school year, LCIS is launching intentional small-group experiences designed to make sure every student has a trusted adult connection inside the building. Staff from across the school, including nutrition services staff, teachers, and support staff, will help students build reading, math, and problem-solving skills through real-world experiences. Students might learn fractions while cooking in the kitchen or practice scientific thinking by writing and testing hypotheses in the STEM Lab.

The goal behind all of this work is simple: make sure every student has at least one trusted adult in their corner and leaves each day having learned something real. That's what LCIS has always promised to the community. There are a lot of reasons families end up here, and most of them come down to the same thing: their kid needed something different, and LCIS was built to meet them there.

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