in Indiana

Fiscal Budgets Indiana state budget and finances Tax policy in Indiana Finance Financial regulation in Indiana Pensions Public pensions in Indiana Pension health in Indiana Civil liberties Affirmative action in Indiana Campaign finance requirements in Indiana Campaign finance requirements for Indiana ballot measures Nonprofit regulation in Indiana Education Charter schools in Indiana Higher education in Indiana Public education in Indiana School choice in Indiana Elections Ballot access Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Indiana Ballot access requirements for political parties in Indiana Political parties in Indiana Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Indiana Redistricting in Indiana Voting in Indiana Energy and Environment Energy policy in Indiana Fracking in Indiana Oil and gas extraction on federal land in Indiana Endangered species in Indiana Environmental policy in Indiana Healthcare Healthcare policy in Indiana Medicaid spending in Indiana Effect of the Affordable Care Act in Indiana Immigration Immigration in Indiana

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K-12 education in Indiana

Education facts

State superintendent: Katie Jenner

Number of students: 1,046,269

Number of teachers: 59,863

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:17

Number of school districts: 291

Number of schools: 1,925

Graduation rate: 87%

Per-pupil spending: $9,566

See also

Indiana Department of Education • List of school districts in Indiana • Indiana • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Indiana Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Indiana public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 Indiana had 1,041,369 students enrolled in a total of 1,925 schools in 407 school districts. There were 59,863 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 17 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 331 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Indiana spent $9,566 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 31st highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 87 percent in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Common Core

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. Although Indiana was one of the first states to adopt the Common Core standards, Governor Mike Pence signed legislation in March 2014 that dropped the standards. Indiana was the first state in the nation to drop the Common Core standards.^[4][5]

Regional comparison

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Indiana compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level.

Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Schools by type

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Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in Indiana and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.^[6]

In Indiana, there were 1,860 regular schools as of 2013. Charter schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 72 schools classified as such.

Demographics

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Indiana as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.^[7]

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In Indiana, the majority of students were white. White students totaled 746,143, which was about 71.7 percent of the student population in the state. There were 127,608 black students in Indiana, accounting for approximately 12.3 percent of the state population.

Enrollments by region type

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.^[8]

Approximately 57.3 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 42.7 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Academic performance

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013.^[9]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Indiana and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[9][10][11]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[12]

Indiana schools reported a graduation rate of 87 percent during the 2012-2013 school year. In Indiana, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1470.

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Indiana was lower than the national average at 1.8 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.1 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[13]

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Indiana

As of June 2015, school choice options in Indiana included charter schools, a school voucher program, tax credits, and intra-district and inter-district enrollment policies.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[14]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[15]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Indiana is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Indiana state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[16][17]

Indiana spent approximately 30.8 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from state funds.

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[17]

In Indiana, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding, at $7.5 billion.

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[18]

Public education expenditures in Indiana totaled approximately $11.4 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Indiana, the average salary decreased by 10 percent.^[20]

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Indiana received a score of 77.3, or a C+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was equal to the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 97.8, or an A average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 63.1, or a D average. Indiana had the highest score in "standards, assessments and accountability" in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Indiana and its surrounding states.^[21]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

School districts in Indiana are divided into eight different types: school townships, school cities and towns, township school corporations, county school corporations, consolidated school corporations, metropolitan school districts, community school corporations and united school corporations. All types of school districts in Indiana are considered by Indiana law to be school corporations.^[22]

School board composition

Board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although there are a few districts whose boards are appointed. School boards in Indiana usually consist of five to seven members that serve four-year terms. According to Indiana state law, the number of members should consist of a number of members equal to the number of township schools under the administration of the county superintendent.^[23] Elections are held in even-numbered election years in November.^[24]

Term limits

Indiana does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.^[25]

Elections

See also: Indiana school board elections, 2021

No Indiana school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope held school board elections in 2021.

Path to the ballot

A candidate for a school board office must file a statement of economic interest and petition of nomination. In a metropolitan school corporation, the petition must be signed by at least ten registered voters residing in the same board member district as the nominee. In a community school corporation, the petition must be signed by at least ten registered voters residing within the boundaries of the school corporation. Additional petition requirements may be necessary depending on the school corporations.^[26]

Campaign finance

Candidates for school board positions must file campaign finance documents with the county election board of the county where the greatest percentage of the school corporation resides. They should then should contact the county election board for information on campaign finance reporting requirements.^[26]

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Indiana state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Indiana ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to education matters in Indiana.

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Indiana education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Historical public education information in Indiana
• Indiana state budget and finances
• Indiana Department of Education
• List of school districts in Indiana
• School choice in Indiana
• Charter schools in Indiana

External links

• Indiana Department of Education

Footnotes

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