Keyiri Ramos’ entire family is excited for next school year.
The potential for her two sons to stay together at the same school for another year has her breathing a sigh of relief, especially when she thinks about navigating school drop-off and pick-up lines.
Plus, keeping her kindergartener and fourth grader together next year means she’ll get to take advantage of another year of on-site YMCA after-school care for her oldest son at Sunny Heights Elementary.
Ramos is one of the many parents who support Warren Township administrators’ plan to move fifth grade students back into the district’s nine elementary schools in fall 2026. For about 15 years, fifth graders have been grouped together with sixth through eighth graders in Warren’s three intermediate middle schools.
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“The YMCA is not here at the middle schools,” Ramos said. “You hear middle school and they’re like, ‘Oh, they can take care of their self.’ Well, not at 9 or 10 (years old).”
With recent renovations now complete across five elementary buildings, administrators say the schools are prepared to take back fifth graders.
It’s a move they say would give 10- and 11-year-olds greater access to age-appropriate experiences, such as recess and expanded high-ability programs.
“This is a conversation that we’ve had for the last few years,” Warren Chief Operations Officer Marques Clayton said during a recent community meeting. “We believe now is the right time to help not only stabilize enrollment, but enhance and improve that transition from elementary to middle school.”
Parents welcome fifth grade changes
Ramos and dozens of others attended the meetings in Warren Township this week to ask questions about the plan and offer suggestions for how to make the change a smooth transition.
Administrators say they’re pursuing an aggressive timeline to bring fifth graders back into elementaries by the start of the 2026-27 school year. Five school board members attended a Tuesday, Sept. 23, meeting on the topic. They’ll be asked to vote on a plan brought forward by administrators this winter.
The shift could require changing some families’ elementary school assignments to ensure enrollment is balanced across the district.
To Ramos, the quick turnaround is welcome news. The longtime Warrior mom signed up to join a planning committee during the community meeting.
“I’ve been asking (for this) on surveys since the beginning of time,” Ramos said. “I’m so ready.”
Like Ramos, many parents who attended the district’s Sept. 23 meeting said they’re excited about the potential changes.
The supportive response signaled that the question may not be whether Warren moves fifth graders back to elementary schools, but how they do it.
Some parents wanted to know more about how the move would affect class sizes and the district’s dual-language immersion program at Pleasant Run Elementary and Stonybrook Intermediate Middle School.
Others expressed concerns about putting 10- and 11-year-olds on a bus with kindergartners as young as 4.
Teachers and principals who attended also wondered whether staff would move to different buildings and how lunch scheduling would work if each elementary school were to take on another grade in their building.
Wayne Township administrators are considering:
🔙 Moving fifth graders into elementary schools
📍 Redrawing elementary school attendance boundaries
🌟 Bringing high-ability programs to every elementary school
🎓 Redesigning middle schools with a greater college and career focus
⏰ Changing elementary, middle and high school start times
What’s next?
Administrators say they’re using these questions to shape recommendations that could be brought to the Warren school board later this year.
“Your voice is not just important, but it’s essential,” Clayton told parents at the meeting. “This conversation about enrollment management and redistricting is a shared journey and your feedback will light the path forward.”
District leaders also said they were keeping track of the questions and plan to post an FAQ page in the coming days on the Warren Township website.
A community survey is also posted on the district website and will remain open throughout the redistricting process. English and Spanish versions are available.
About our reporting
This article was published as part of a partnership between Chalkbeat Indiana, WFYI, and Mirror Indy to increase coverage of township school districts in Marion County.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
