Fort Wayne Community Schools
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DISCOVER WHAT'S WITHIN
Fort Wayne Community Schools
At Fort Wayne Community Schools, we are committed to transforming education to ensure students are ready for life after graduation, whether they enroll in higher education, enlist in the military or enter the workforce as an employee or entrepreneur. Through our Schools of Success, students will have experiences connecting their core academic studies with real world relevancy. From the moment students enter FWCS, they will see themselves in the Portrait of an Explorer (elementary), Portrait of a Connector (middle school) and Portrait of a Graduate (high school). FWCS launches the Freshman Schools of Success at each of the district’s high schools in the fall of 2024.
Registration Panel
FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
welcomes all students
Students in FWCS are assigned to a school based on their residence. Families may also choose a school outside their attendance area by filling out a school choice lottery application.
Determine school eligibility
Address & Age
Determine which school your child is assigned to based on your home address in our online address lookup.
Students wishing to register for pre-K must be four years old by Aug. 1 or for full-day Kindergarten must be five years old by Aug. 1 of the upcoming school year in order to be eligible.
School choice opportunities
- Students have the opportunity to attend any FWCS school by taking part in the annual School Choice Lottery.
- To do so, you must complete an application during the annual lottery enrollment period in the myFWCS Parent Portal. Students are accepted based on space availability. Those students not selected will be put on a waiting list.
- Students inside and outside of the FWCS district boundaries are welcome to apply.
- Transportation is not provided for students who transfer to another school except for magnet schools.
Required registration information
Gather your documents.
- Student ID (Birth Certificate and the name and address of the last school the child attended)
- Parent ID (The parent must present a photo ID and the name of the parent must be on the child’s birth certificate. A guardian must provide custodial documentation)
- Official Immunization Records
- Proof of Residency
Complete registration
Register online through the myFWCS Parent Portal during the open enrollment period.
Please contact FACE with additional questions regarding registration at 260-467-2120.
DISCOVER WHAT'S WITHIN
FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
News & Announcements
The FWCS Career Academy will celebrate the achievements of Career and Technical Education (CTE) students at its eighth annual Signing Day ceremony.
The FWCS Career Academy will celebrate the achievements of Career and Technical Education (CTE) students at its eighth annual Signing Day ceremony. The signing ceremony is from 2:30-4p.m. Tuesday, May 13, at the Grand Wayne Center, 120 W. Jefferson Blvd. These CTE students have been offered employment and/or apprenticeships with nearly 40 local companies after graduation.
Some students will join Parkview to begin careers in surgical technology, while medical assistant and CNA students will accept positions with IU Health and other healthcare providers. Skilled trades students will sign as apprentices with local unions, such as Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 166, and with companies, including Sparks, Weigand Construction and Rowe Electric. They will work as welders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and masons.
Several automotive technicians will join five local auto companies, and software development students will begin careers with companies, including Medical Informatics Engineering and Reboot.
Doug Horner, founder and CEO of Medical Informatics Engineering, will be the keynote speaker at the Signing Day event.
Fort Wayne Community Schools has entered into a new partnership with the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne and Champions of Greater Fort Wayne to provide comprehensive before and after school childcare services for elementary students in pre-K through fifth grade.
Fort Wayne Community Schools has entered into a new partnership with the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne and Champions of Greater Fort Wayne to provide comprehensive before and after school childcare services for elementary students in pre-K through fifth grade. This collaborative effort aims to address the growing need for quality, educationally-focused childcare options for FWCS families.
Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, the YMCA and Champions will provide high-quality childcare services at elementary schools across the district:
Before school, 6:30-8:30 a.m.
After school, 3:30-6 p.m.
Pre-K extended care, 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m. for half-day Pre-K programs
"This partnership represents our commitment to supporting families by ensuring their children have access to safe, enriching environments beyond regular school hours," Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel said. "By collaborating with established childcare providers like YMCA and Champions, we can offer comprehensive solutions that meet the needs of our community."
Childcare options are also available during winter and spring breaks at select locations through this partnership, as well as on days when schools are closed due to inclement weather. However, if District offices are closed due to inclement weather, childcare will not be available. Childcare will also be offered during summer break.
Parents interested in enrolling their children can learn more at fwcs.info/BeforeAfterCare. Information will also be available at in-person registration in July and at the annual FWCS Back-to-School Block Party and back-to-school nights in August.
Students at five Fort Wayne Community Schools elementary schools and all middle schools will celebrate riding bikes to school with various activities during the next two weeks.
Students at five Fort Wayne Community Schools elementary schools and all middle schools will celebrate riding bikes to school with various activities during the next two weeks.
Arlington, Brentwood, Franke Park, Indian Village and St. Joseph Central elementary schools will participate in National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 7. Students at the schools will have the opportunity to ride their bikes to school, demonstrating bike safety and learning how to ride together.
Fort Wayne Community Schools is partnering with the Fort Wayne Police Department and Parkview Trauma to make sure Indian Village students are ready to celebrate Bike to School Day. At 1:45 and 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, Bike Patrol Officers from the Fort Wayne Police Department will talk to fourth- and fifth-grade students at Indian Village, 3835 Wenoneh Lane, about bike safety. Parkview Trauma will provide and fit helmets to students participating in Bike to School Day. Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of bicycle-related head injury by about 80 percent, but most bike riders do not wear helmets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These events precede National Bike to School Day on May 7. That day, Indian Village students who walk or ride their bikes to school will be joined by Fort Wayne Police Bike Patrol Officers, FWCS officials and others to promote safely riding and walking to school. In addition, students at Arlington, Brentwood, Franke Park and St. Joseph Central will also be able to ride a safe route to school with staff and community partners, including members of the Active Transportation Coalition.
FWCS’ middle schools will participate in a Bike to School Challenge May 5-9. Schools will count the number of students riding bikes each day. The school with the most riders (based on a percentage of school enrollment) will win a trophy and prizes, sponsored by Active Transportation Coalition.
In addition to teaching students how to travel safely and the importance of wearing a helmet, the Bike to School events are also designed to build awareness in the community of the many children who walk and bike to school. It serves as a reminder to adult drivers to be aware and patient as students make their way to and from school.
The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of School Trustees on Monday, April 28, approved several new administrative appointments.
The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of School Trustees on Monday, April 28, approved several new administrative appointments.
High School:
Robb Robison – Northrop High School Principal
Robb Robison currently serves FWCS as an assistant principal at Northrop High School. He first joined the district in 2006 as a social studies teacher at Northrop. In 2013, he became an assistant principal at Wayne High School. Robison is data-driven and focused on teacher and student success. At Northrop High School, Robb Robison replaces Adam Swinford.
Elementary School:
Mary Kinniry, Director of Elementary Education
Mary Kinniry first joined FWCS in 1989 as a teacher at Lincoln Elementary and then worked at Irwin and Bloomingdale before taking a short leave. She returned to FWCS in 2007 as an interventionist and building coach at Lincoln and then moved to Forest Park to serve as assistant principal. In 2013, she was named principal at Lindley Elementary School before taking the same position at Irwin STEAM Magnet Elementary and Levan Scott. Kinniry will now serve FWCS as a Director of Elementary Education.
Ashlie Simpson, Levan Scott Academy Principal
Ashlie Simpson joined FWCS in 2012 as a teacher at Washington Elementary. She moved to Holland where she taught until 2021. She then became the assistant principal at Levan Scott Academy and will now serve as that school’s principal. Simpson is focused on closing the achievement gap and maintaining a positive school culture. At Levan Scott, Ashlie Simpson replaces Mary Kinniry.
Sara Wertman, Director of Elementary Education
Sara Wertman started her education career in Garrett as a special education teacher in 1992. The following year, she was hired by FWCS as a special education teacher at Weisser Park Elementary. In 2011, she became the principal of Waynedale Elementary, two years later moved to the principal position at Brentwood Elementary, and in 2018 became the principal at Forest Park Elementary. Wertman will now serve FWCS as a Director of Elementary Education.
Cecily Chandler – Forest Park Elementary Principal
Cecily Chandler began her career at FWCS in 1997 at Croninger Elementary teaching fourth grade. She then taught at East Allen County Schools before becoming the principal at Holy Cross Lutheran School in 2007. Chandler returned to FWCS in 2019 and has served as assistant principal at Fairfield Elementary, Weisser Park and Forest Park. At Forest Park Elementary, Cecily Chandler replaces Sara Wertman.
Tamara Mullins, Director of Elementary Education
Tamara Mullins began her education career as a substitute for FWCS in 1991. She was later hired as a teacher and has taught at Washington, Fairfield and Waynedale elementary schools. Mullins became the principal at Bunche in 2003, moved to Towles in 2006 with the same position and then returned to Bunche 10 years later. She will now serve FWCS as a Director of Elementary Education.
Alexandra Trevino, Fairfield Elementary Principal
Alex Trevino began her education career with Indianapolis Public Schools as a special education teacher in 2007. She joined Fort Wayne Community Schools two years later as a special education teacher at Forest Park Elementary. She then taught second and third grade at Lindley Elementary before becoming an assistant principal at Weisser Park Elementary School. Since 2019, Trevino has served as the principal at Maplewood Elementary School. At Fairfield, Alex Trevino replaces Jana Ankenbruck who is retiring for the second time.
Aaron Eastom – Maplewood Elementary Principal
Aaron Eastom’s education career began in 2009 at Kokomo Center Schools. There he taught at Pettit Park Elementary and Head Start. In 2014, he came to FWCS to teach third grade at Maplewood Elementary School. Eastom then became the building coach at Maplewood in 2023. At Maplewood, Aaron Eastom replaces Alex Trevino.
Melissa Plumb, Whitney Young STEAM Early Childhood and Weisser Park STEAM Elementary Principal
Melissa Plumb joined FWCS in 1998 as a special education teacher. In 2014, she became the assistant principal at Haley Elementary. She became principal of Whitney Young in 2016 and five years later was named principal at Weisser Park Elementary School. Now, she will oversee both schools, establishing a more connected school community, enhancing the transition from one building to the next for students and families and continuing to strengthen the STEAM curriculum from pre-K through fifth grade. Interesting to note, Plumb’s time at Weisser Park actually started in 1982, when she was a first-grade student at the school.
Health and Wellness:
Candis Deisler, Director of Health and Wellness
Candis Deisler's nursing career began 18 years ago with 13 of those years dedicated to FWCS. She started with the District in 2011 as a substitute school nurse and became full-time a year later. Deisler currently serves as a Nurse Coordinator at FWCS overseeing more than 70 Health and Wellness staff members. She is driven by a passion for student health, wellness innovation and staff development. As the Director of Health and Wellness, Candis Deisler replaces Mary Hess who is retiring.
Upcoming Events
What’s going on at FWCS?
2024-25
by the numbers
28,555
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
- 13,955 Pre-K - 5
- 6,127 Middle School
- 8,461 High School
52
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS
- 30 Elementary (K-5)
- 10 Middle Schools (6-8)
- 5 High Schools (9-12)
- 2 Early Childhood Ctr.
- Alternative School
- CTE School
- Innovation Lab
- Intermediate School
- Virtual Academy
90%
GRADUATION RATE
Fort Wayne Community Schools exceeds national graduation rates
12,281
STUDENTS RIDING THE BUS
17,154 miles per day
3,087,784 million miles traveled per year
35,502
MEALS SERVED DAILY
All FWCS students are offered free meals (breakfast & lunch)
64% eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals
5,349
EMPLOYEES
1,924 Teachers
1,019 Full-time Employees
2,406 Part-time Employees
4,400
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER STUDENTS
There are more than 70 languages spoken by our ELL students from more than 70 countries
3rd most diverse schools district in the state of Indiana
6,887
SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS
Special Education students including non-public school students served
TESTIMONIALS
Voices of FWCS
JADA-NICOLE
Being at the FWCS Career Academy at Anthis helped me greatly because I earned college credits, and it gave me an internship at a really good preschool. It gave me a chance to
start working in my career at a young age.
KIMBERLY
FWCS is a great place to work because there are so many opportunities to learn and grow as an educator. Our staff truly love what they do!
KYRA
I am pleased with the opportunities FWCS creates for my daughter now and the seeds that are being sown for her future success. I adore the great spirit of community that exists among our school families. My daughter is learning so much and most importantly, she is excited about learning!
DEREK
I have worked my entire career in FWCS and my child attends FWCS because this is our community. As a principal, I have the opportunity to make our community better by supporting our staff, students and families. As a parent, I know my daughter receives engaging, rigorous learning experiences as she continues to thrive.
JASMINE
The Vincennes Early College Program (at North Side) along with other rigorous classes have allowed me to get an early start on my college education. By the time I graduate, I’ll have a year’s worth of college credits because of the classes I’ve been able to take. Knowing this definitely makes my goals for the future more obtainable.