chronic-absenteeism
Indiana's Absenteeism Problem Started Before COVID
Chronic absenteeism rose every year from 2015 to 2019, crossing 10% for the first time in 2018. The pandemic accelerated a trend already in motion.
Indiana
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Indiana, grounded in Indiana Department of Education data.
Indiana's Graduation Gender Gap Is Closing as Young Men Gain Ground
Indiana's male graduation rate gained 2.7 percentage points over a decade, narrowing the gender gap from 4.0 to 2.8 points as young men improved faster than young women.
South Bend: Two in Five Students Are Chronically Absent
South Bend's 40.3% chronic absenteeism rate has more than doubled since 2013, and one school recorded 99.3% chronic absence.
Nearly Half of Indiana's School Districts Now Graduate 95% or More
173 Indiana school corporations with meaningful cohorts now graduate at least 95% of their students, up from about 90 a decade ago, with 24 posting a perfect 100%.
Indiana's Special Education Graduation Gap Shrank From 19 Points to 7
Special education students gained 13.2 percentage points over a decade, the largest improvement of any subgroup, collapsing the gap with general education peers.
More Coverage
district-spotlight
Gary's Graduation Rate Fell 28 Points in a Decade, Indiana's Steepest
Gary Community School Corp's graduation rate fell from 85.5% to 57.8% over a decade, the steepest decline of any Indiana corporation with a cohort of 100 or more, with most of the drop arriving after the 2017 state takeover.
district-spotlight
Two in Three Gary Students Miss Too Much School
Gary Community School Corporation's 63.6% chronic absenteeism rate is the highest among traditional districts in Indiana, and it has tripled since 2013.
chronic-absenteeism
60 Indiana School Corporations Have Returned to Pre-COVID Attendance Rates. 325 Have Not.
Sixty of Indiana's 385 school corporations have returned to their pre-pandemic chronic absenteeism rates. The other 325 remain above their 2019 baselines.
equity
Indiana's White-Black Graduation Gap Was Nearly Halved in Three Years
The white-Black graduation gap in Indiana narrowed from 12.1 to 6.5 percentage points, with most of the closure happening in a rapid three-year span after 2022.
district-spotlight
Indianapolis Suburbs Hold Attendance in Single Digits as IPS Works Down From Its COVID Peak
Zionsville, Carmel, and Fishers keep chronic absenteeism under 8%. IPS, three years into a steady decline, is at 32%, a 26.7-point metro gap.
policy
Indiana's Record Graduation Rate Comes With a Growing Asterisk
Indiana's grad rate gap (state vs. federal) nearly tripled since 2020. About 1,600 students now earn diplomas through waivers, not standard requirements.
district-spotlight
East Chicago's Graduation Rate Climbed 30 Points and Closed Its Gap With Indiana to Under 2
School City of East Chicago lifted its graduation rate from 59.6% in 2017 to 90.0% in 2025, closing a gap with the state average from nearly 28 points to under 2.
chronic-absenteeism
Indiana's Chronic Absenteeism Recovery Is Running Out of Steam
Three years of improvement have closed less than half the gap opened by COVID, and each year's gains are shrinking.
special-populations
When English Learners Out-Graduate Everyone: Indiana's Rate Hits 92.4%
Indiana's English learners now graduate at 92.4%, surpassing the overall state average of 91.8% after a 32-point climb from a 2017 trough.
equity
Indiana's Graduation Gap Has Nearly Closed: Students Who Are Economically Disadvantaged Now Graduate at 93%
The gap between students who are economically disadvantaged and their paid-meals peers narrowed from 11.5 to under 1 percentage point, but a broadened definition may be doing some of the work.
