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.
Indiana
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Indiana, grounded in Indiana Department of Education data.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More Coverage
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.
Enrollment
Indiana Enrolls 15,157 Fewer Kindergartners Than Seniors
Indiana's kindergarten class is now 18% smaller than its senior class, a gap that nearly tripled in three years, locking in a decade of decline.
Demographics
Seymour Went From 72% White to 46% in a Decade
Hispanic students now outnumber white students in Seymour Community Schools, the fastest demographic shift of any Indiana district over the past 10 years.
District Spotlight
From 71% to 93%: How Indianapolis Public Schools Defied Every Prediction
Indianapolis Public Schools posted a 93% graduation rate in 2025, surpassing the state average for the first time after a two-decade transformation.
Regional
Lake County Has Lost Students Every Year for a Decade
Indiana's second-largest county shed 8,789 public school students since 2016, a decline driven almost entirely by the collapse of its northern industrial cities.
Graduation Rate
Indiana Breaks 90% for the First Time, Then Does It Again
Indiana's graduation rate hit 91.8% in 2025 — an all-time high and the second consecutive year above 90% — capping a 5.2 percentage point surge from a decade low.
Enrollment
Four in Five Indiana Districts Never Recovered from COVID
Of 269 Indiana corporations that lost students during COVID, only 60 have returned to pre-pandemic levels. The state just hit a new post-COVID low.
School Choice
Marion County Charters Now Enroll Nearly Double IPS
73 charter corporations in Marion County enrolled 35,898 students in 2025-26, 1.8 times the 19,774 at IPS. The crossover came in 2020.
Demographics
One in Three Indiana School Corporations Is Now Majority-Minority
Indiana's majority-minority school corporations grew from 79 to 134 in a decade, reshaping suburbs from Avon to Seymour and manufacturing towns statewide.
Enrollment
Nine Indiana School Corporations Hold Perfect Losing Records
Nine Indiana school corporations lost enrollment every single year from 2017 through 2026. Six suburban districts grew every year. Combined, the losers shed twice what the winners gained.
