Indiana
U.S.
Rank
Score:
85%
Grade:
B
Rank:
#6
One of the nation’s best, with rapid expansion serving more and more students across the state, thanks to robust authorizing and a positive, can-do Hoosier attitude!
Law passed: 2001
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 120
Number of charter students: 52,557 (up 20% since 2018 report)
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No
Virtual charters allowed? Yes
AUTHORIZERS: Local school boards, the Indiana charter school board, the mayor of Indianapolis (through the state charter school board), and universities. Universities currently authorizing are Ball State University, Grace College, Trine University, and Calumet College. Together, they authorize 37 of the state’s 103 charter schools.
There is no appeals process for denied applications, but the applicant may reapply to the same authorizer or a different authorizer.
GROWTH: Enrollment in charters is up 20% since 2018. There is no cap on the number of charter schools, but the law does not allow for a charter holder to operate multiple campuses under the same charter, which means that every time a successful charter operator wants to expand or create a new school, they have to begin the application process from the beginning.
OPERATIONS: Charters have a blanket waiver from most rules and regulations that constrain district schools, however virtual charters are now subject to extensive oversight regulations.
EQUITY: Charter schools in Indiana receive the same amount of state and federal funding as traditional district schools. A 2021 budget increases the Charter and Innovation Network Grant from $750 per pupil to $1,000 in FY 2022 and $1,250 in FY 2023. A small but positive step in a state where charters still do not receive local tax dollars, a glaring inequity. Local taxes make up more than a third of traditional district schools’ budgets and would be fiscal game changers for charter schools. A recent law also reduced the time frame during which a school corporation (eg. board) must make a vacant or unused school building available to a charter school.
Score:
Grade:
A
Rank:
#3
Indiana now has four private education choice programs, including the new Education Scholarship Account Program passed in April, 2021. The programs help a wide range of families to select the education of their kids, including private school, homeschool.
Law enacted: 2009-2021
Number of programs: 4
Statewide Participation: 102,461
Types of programs: Education Savings Account,Tax Credit Scholarship, Voucher, Individual Tax Credit / Deduction
Voucher
Choice Scholarship Program
The newest changes to Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program in April 2021 doubled the income limit from from 150% to 300% of the federal free and reduced lunch program. This development makes approximately 80 percent of the state’s families eligible. Additionally, all participating students can now receive the full voucher amount (90% of the state per-pupil spending) to attend a private school. This program allows students from low and middle income families to receive vouchers to use on private school tuition. It originally became law in 2011 and is now one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing school voucher programs.
Tax-Credit Scholarship
School Scholarship Tax Credit
Indiana’s tax-credit scholarship program was enacted in 2009 and began in 2010 to help low- and middle-income families access the right school for their children’s needs. Donors to non-profit scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) receive a 50 percent credit on their state tax liability, which then give scholarships to students in families with certain income limits. In April 2021, the income limit increased from 200 percent of the free and reduced lunch level to 300 percent. The program previously had a $15 million cap for tax credits, but the new law increases that to $17.5 million in 2022 and $18.5 million in 2023.
ESA
Education Scholarship Account Program
In April 2021, HB1005 established Indiana’s fourth education choice program, an Education Savings Account for students with special needs. Students are eligible if they have an IEP, have parents on active duty in the military, or are in foster care and come from a household with an income up to 300% of the federal free and reduced lunch program. Qualifying students can receive up to 90% of their state per-pupil funding for educational expenses such as tuition, curriculum, supplemental materials, advanced placement tests, training programs and transportation services. Once students join the program they remain eligible to receive ESA funds until they graduate from high school or turn 22 years old. However, the budget for the ESA program is only $10 million for SY 2022-2023, which will support about 600 students.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#8
Teacher preparation programs report “student learning by percentage of teachers who are rated highly effective or effective” including student growth, and best practice tenure policies contribute to strong accountability.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 80%
General Teacher Preparation 88%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 88%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 96%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 72%
Alternate Routes 55%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 77%
Hiring 75%
Retaining Effective Teachers 78%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 80%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 68%
Score:
85%
Grade:
B
Rank:
#6
One of the nation’s best, with rapid expansion serving more and more students across the state, thanks to robust authorizing and a positive, can-do Hoosier attitude!
Law passed: 2001
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 120
Number of charter students: 52,557 (up 20% since 2018 report)
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No
Virtual charters allowed? Yes
AUTHORIZERS: Local school boards, the Indiana charter school board, the mayor of Indianapolis (through the state charter school board), and universities. Universities currently authorizing are Ball State University, Grace College, Trine University, and Calumet College. Together, they authorize 37 of the state’s 103 charter schools.
There is no appeals process for denied applications, but the applicant may reapply to the same authorizer or a different authorizer.
GROWTH: Enrollment in charters is up 20% since 2018. There is no cap on the number of charter schools, but the law does not allow for a charter holder to operate multiple campuses under the same charter, which means that every time a successful charter operator wants to expand or create a new school, they have to begin the application process from the beginning.
OPERATIONS: Charters have a blanket waiver from most rules and regulations that constrain district schools, however virtual charters are now subject to extensive oversight regulations.
EQUITY: Charter schools in Indiana receive the same amount of state and federal funding as traditional district schools. A 2021 budget increases the Charter and Innovation Network Grant from $750 per pupil to $1,000 in FY 2022 and $1,250 in FY 2023. A small but positive step in a state where charters still do not receive local tax dollars, a glaring inequity. Local taxes make up more than a third of traditional district schools’ budgets and would be fiscal game changers for charter schools. A recent law also reduced the time frame during which a school corporation (eg. board) must make a vacant or unused school building available to a charter school.
Score:
Grade:
A
Rank:
#3
Indiana now has four private education choice programs, including the new Education Scholarship Account Program passed in April, 2021. The programs help a wide range of families to select the education of their kids, including private school, homeschool.
Law enacted: 2009-2021
Number of programs: 4
Statewide Participation: 102,461
Types of programs: Education Savings Account,Tax Credit Scholarship, Voucher, Individual Tax Credit / Deduction
Voucher
Choice Scholarship Program
The newest changes to Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program in April 2021 doubled the income limit from from 150% to 300% of the federal free and reduced lunch program. This development makes approximately 80 percent of the state’s families eligible. Additionally, all participating students can now receive the full voucher amount (90% of the state per-pupil spending) to attend a private school. This program allows students from low and middle income families to receive vouchers to use on private school tuition. It originally became law in 2011 and is now one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing school voucher programs.
Tax-Credit Scholarship
School Scholarship Tax Credit
Indiana’s tax-credit scholarship program was enacted in 2009 and began in 2010 to help low- and middle-income families access the right school for their children’s needs. Donors to non-profit scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) receive a 50 percent credit on their state tax liability, which then give scholarships to students in families with certain income limits. In April 2021, the income limit increased from 200 percent of the free and reduced lunch level to 300 percent. The program previously had a $15 million cap for tax credits, but the new law increases that to $17.5 million in 2022 and $18.5 million in 2023.
ESA
Education Scholarship Account Program
In April 2021, HB1005 established Indiana’s fourth education choice program, an Education Savings Account for students with special needs. Students are eligible if they have an IEP, have parents on active duty in the military, or are in foster care and come from a household with an income up to 300% of the federal free and reduced lunch program. Qualifying students can receive up to 90% of their state per-pupil funding for educational expenses such as tuition, curriculum, supplemental materials, advanced placement tests, training programs and transportation services. Once students join the program they remain eligible to receive ESA funds until they graduate from high school or turn 22 years old. However, the budget for the ESA program is only $10 million for SY 2022-2023, which will support about 600 students.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#8
Teacher preparation programs report “student learning by percentage of teachers who are rated highly effective or effective” including student growth, and best practice tenure policies contribute to strong accountability.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 80%
General Teacher Preparation 88%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 88%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 96%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 72%
Alternate Routes 55%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 77%
Hiring 75%
Retaining Effective Teachers 78%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 80%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 68%
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#5
Indiana’s Department of Education’s Office of eLearning has innovative programs, networks, and resources, and digital learning grants to help school districts implement digital learning. Indiana is a part of the digital learning Future Ready School initiative, which helps districts implement digital learning plans and instructional strategies in schools. The state also has multiple programs in place to foster digital learning collaboration and professional development for teachers and school leaders, some being Hoosier Student Digital Leaders (HSDL) program, The Rockstars of Curation, eLearning Leadership Cadre, Indiana’s eLearning Coach Community .
Other initiatives happening to spark innovation:
The Indiana Digital Learning School is an online, tuition-free program for Indiana public school students, started by the Union School Corporation. It offers K-5, Middle, and High School Curricula as well as a Destinations Career Academy for high school students to take industry career related electives courses. IDLS partners with colleges and universities so students can also earn college credits.
Indiana’s East Noble School Corporation, and Kokomo School Corporation Districts are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing approximately 9,000 students in the state access to digital learning. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “98.9% of students in Indiana can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 10,579 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”
Indiana encourages personalized learning through flexibility waiver programs. State law created Innovation Network Schools, allowing school districts to have full authority to make operational and instructional decisions based on the needs of their students. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 21 Innovation Network Schools serving approximately 9,000 students.
In 2018, legislation established the Coalition of Continuous Improvement School Districts, which allows the Indiana State Board of Education to create a coalition of rural, urban and suburban school districts that receive increased flexibility and opportunity to implement innovative practices. The vision of the coalition is to “act as purposeful risk takers disrupting the status quo to meet the needs of our diverse learners.”
The state also has waivers and flexibility for Performance Qualified School Districts and High Schools. School districts and high schools that meet performance criteria gain flexibility in areas such as instruction, seat time, school year calendar. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 67 performanced qualified school districts, and 154 high schools.
March 19, Indiana closed all schools in response to COVID-19 and by April 17 were required to submit Continuous Learning Plans to the Governor. Guidelines for remote learning encouraged all districts to provide ways for all students to be able to continue learning, and their communications were frequent and easy to find.
There is also a website with resources for students, parents, and teachers as well as guidance for schools on learning plans, resources for internet connectivity, and weekly webinars for school leaders.
The Family Engagement Toolkit provided information for free technological and educational resources that children can access from home.
The interactive FAQs page was regularly updated throughout the summer, and helps families, students, and educators quickly get answers about the state’s education plans in response to COVID 19.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#5
Indiana’s Department of Education’s Office of eLearning has innovative programs, networks, and resources, and digital learning grants to help school districts implement digital learning. Indiana is a part of the digital learning Future Ready School initiative, which helps districts implement digital learning plans and instructional strategies in schools. The state also has multiple programs in place to foster digital learning collaboration and professional development for teachers and school leaders, some being Hoosier Student Digital Leaders (HSDL) program, The Rockstars of Curation, eLearning Leadership Cadre, Indiana’s eLearning Coach Community .
Other initiatives happening to spark innovation:
The Indiana Digital Learning School is an online, tuition-free program for Indiana public school students, started by the Union School Corporation. It offers K-5, Middle, and High School Curricula as well as a Destinations Career Academy for high school students to take industry career related electives courses. IDLS partners with colleges and universities so students can also earn college credits.
Indiana’s East Noble School Corporation, and Kokomo School Corporation Districts are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing approximately 9,000 students in the state access to digital learning. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “98.9% of students in Indiana can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 10,579 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”
Indiana encourages personalized learning through flexibility waiver programs. State law created Innovation Network Schools, allowing school districts to have full authority to make operational and instructional decisions based on the needs of their students. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 21 Innovation Network Schools serving approximately 9,000 students.
In 2018, legislation established the Coalition of Continuous Improvement School Districts, which allows the Indiana State Board of Education to create a coalition of rural, urban and suburban school districts that receive increased flexibility and opportunity to implement innovative practices. The vision of the coalition is to “act as purposeful risk takers disrupting the status quo to meet the needs of our diverse learners.”
The state also has waivers and flexibility for Performance Qualified School Districts and High Schools. School districts and high schools that meet performance criteria gain flexibility in areas such as instruction, seat time, school year calendar. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 67 performanced qualified school districts, and 154 high schools.
March 19, Indiana closed all schools in response to COVID-19 and by April 17 were required to submit Continuous Learning Plans to the Governor. Guidelines for remote learning encouraged all districts to provide ways for all students to be able to continue learning, and their communications were frequent and easy to find.
There is also a website with resources for students, parents, and teachers as well as guidance for schools on learning plans, resources for internet connectivity, and weekly webinars for school leaders.
The Family Engagement Toolkit provided information for free technological and educational resources that children can access from home.
The interactive FAQs page was regularly updated throughout the summer, and helps families, students, and educators quickly get answers about the state’s education plans in response to COVID 19.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Eric Holcomb (R)
First term began in 2017 (two-term limit)
Gov. Holcomb was reelected in 2020, with a strong pro-parent power, pro-education opportunity agenda that has continued to motivate state officials and educators. As a result, the state has improved education for all, increased access to innovative options and strengthened the state’s choice offerings, and received accolades from constituents as a result.
The Indiana legislature is generally a pro-opportunity-leaning body, and scored a big win in 2021 when they expanded opportunity for all.
In recent rulings, the Indiana Supreme Court “made clear that student-assistance programs are permitted under Article 8, Section 1 (in the education article) of the state constitution, as well as that constitution’s Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendment.” (Institute for Justice)
School report cards are easy to access online and found in two clicks off the homepage of Indiana’s DOE site under Data and Assessments, then clicking INview. School report cards include important information for parents to make decisions for their child, including enrollment, attendance, student performance, accountability, and school personnel.
Additionally, educational options are also easily accessible on the DOE homepage, under Programs.
School board elections are held during the general election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.
Eric Holcomb (R)
First term began in 2017 (two-term limit)
Gov. Holcomb was reelected in 2020, with a strong pro-parent power, pro-education opportunity agenda that has continued to motivate state officials and educators. As a result, the state has improved education for all, increased access to innovative options and strengthened the state’s choice offerings, and received accolades from constituents as a result.
The Indiana legislature is generally a pro-opportunity-leaning body, and scored a big win in 2021 when they expanded opportunity for all.
In recent rulings, the Indiana Supreme Court “made clear that student-assistance programs are permitted under Article 8, Section 1 (in the education article) of the state constitution, as well as that constitution’s Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendment.” (Institute for Justice)
School report cards are easy to access online and found in two clicks off the homepage of Indiana’s DOE site under Data and Assessments, then clicking INview. School report cards include important information for parents to make decisions for their child, including enrollment, attendance, student performance, accountability, and school personnel.
Additionally, educational options are also easily accessible on the DOE homepage, under Programs.
School board elections are held during the general election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.