FRANKFORT — The Crossing School accepts students throughout the school year and offers smaller classes and individualized academic plans for students who are struggling in a traditional high school setting, regional director Cole Warford said during an appearance on WILO and Boone 102.7 FM’s Partyline Daily Local/Live talk show program.
Warford, regional director of The Crossing’s campuses serving Clinton County and surrounding areas, said the Frankfort school — located at 3002 E. Wabash Street east of Frankfort and part of a nine-campus network across Indiana — is a state-accredited high school built around students who may be at risk of not graduating.
That “at risk” label, he explained, simply refers to students who have struggled in the traditional public school setting — not “bad kids.”
“Some students thrive in the traditional public school environment, and some don’t, and that’s okay,” Warford said. “I myself, on paper, may have been doing okay in school, but I didn’t feel like it was the right fit for me.”
Smaller Classes, Individual Plans
The biggest difference, Warford said, is size. Student-to-teacher ratios at The Crossing are about 10 to 1 — roughly half the size of a typical classroom — and each student gets an individualized academic plan.
“If they’re behind in academics, we create a plan for them. If they’re on pace, we create a plan for them. If they’re ahead of pace, we create a plan for them,” Warford said. “It’s really just meeting a student where they’re at, building a plan around them and how to get them to graduate.”
That flexibility extends to course pacing: a student who enjoys history can move more quickly through those courses while taking extra time with algebra, or focus on just one or two classes at a time.
Warford said The Crossing is state accredited and allows students to bring previously earned high school credits into its program. Some students attend for a year or two to get back on track before returning to another school, he said.
“We just want to see you thrive and be successful,” Warford said.
Positioning Students for New Graduation Seals
This year’s sophomore class, the class of 2029, is the first covered by [Indiana’s new diploma requirements, which include a base diploma plus optional honors seals aligned with enrollment, employment or enlistment after high school. The Employment Honors Plus Seal includes 650 hours of qualified work-based learning among its requirements.
Warford said that because of the work experiences Crossing students get with approved partners throughout their high school years, they are in a better position to pursue that seal.
That job and career readiness starts from a student’s first day, he said. Students take responsibility for caring for the school building — cleaning, serving their peers and teachers, and even tracking the building’s inventory of paper products and supplies through a student-run system that Warford said teaches supply chain and logistical management skills.
Even before students are old enough to work with outside companies, they are learning transferable employability and life skills, he said, along with the consistency and reliability employers look for.
Relationships and Faith
Warford said the relationships between teachers and students are central to the school’s mission and success— something made easier by the small class sizes and driven by the staff’s Christian faith.
“The reason why they do what they do is because of Jesus in their lives,” Warford said, pointing to a Crossing graduate who returned to work at the school and now invests in its students.
Annual Banquet Set for Nov. 10
Participants on the program announced that the school’s annual banquet is set for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the 4-H building in Frankfort. A Crossing graduate who now works at the school and a number of students are expected to speak.
Warford said the banquet is where many community partners, volunteers and supporters first connected with the school’s mission, after hearing testimonies from students, staff, graduates and families over the years.
How to Enroll
Warford said The Crossing enrolls students all school year long, including students from Clinton County and surrounding areas.
Families can start enrollment online at crossingeducation.com, — selecting the Frankfort campus — or call 765-650-4410 and ask for site leader Danielle Goad to set up a visit.
“We enroll all school year long,” Warford said. “If you feel like you just need a different environment, a different option — that’s not just strictly online — reach out about enrollment.”
