The History Of Broad Ripple High School

Written by Berlynn Sommer

As many 84 students know, next year CFI 84 and four other IPS K-8 schools — 70, 55, 43 and 91 — will combine to create Broad Ripple Middle School. This building was the former home of Broad Ripple High School.

The school was originally built in 1886 and began with seven students. Sadly, the original campus was destroyed by a fire in the early 1900s leaving the community devastated. However, they defied the odds and rebuilt the school! In 1923 it officially became part of the IPS school program as Indianapolis’ fourth public high school. The school continued to grow for many years, but was shut down in 2018 due to declining enrollment.

Famous alumni of the school include David Letterman, who had his own talk show called “The David Letterman Show” on CBS from 1993-2015, NBA star George Hill who played for the Indiana Pacers and IU mens basketball coach Mike Woodson.

Principal Tiffany Robinson said we will keep the school’s Rocket mascot and black and orange colors. “I’m very excited to bring an inclusive culture of learning and growing together,” said Robinson at a recent parent meeting. We can look forward to a website for the middle school that will include details about the history of the high school. Students can also get excited about restoring the high school's newspaper, “The Riparian.”

Next time that you visit or drive past Broad Ripple High School, don't forget about its history!