Indiana Education Directory

To become a certified teacher in Indiana, you must earn an Initial Practitioner license. Requirements include:

• Bachelor's Degree: From an accredited institution with a relevant major and content area minor (no specific credit hour requirements, but a content minor is required)
• Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA): Pass this test covering reading, mathematics, and writing
• Field Experience: Complete supervised classroom field experience with direct student instruction responsibility
• Additional Certifications: Submit a valid CPR card and suicide prevention certificate

Indiana has two levels of licensure: Initial Practitioner and Proficient Practitioner. After gaining experience with an Initial license, teachers can advance to the Proficient level. Alternative certification pathways are also available for career changers and those without traditional education degrees through programs like Teachers of Tomorrow and other transition-to-teaching initiatives.

Indiana has one of the most expansive school choice programs in the nation, offering families multiple options:

Indiana Choice Scholarship Program (Vouchers): The largest voucher program in the United States with 70,000 students enrolled as of January 2025. The program provided $497 million in state funds for the 2024-25 school year. In 2025, lawmakers expanded eligibility, and beginning July 2026, all Indiana families will be eligible for school vouchers regardless of household income.

Tax Credit Scholarship Program: Created in 2009, this program provides tuition support for low to middle income families through private charitable donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). Donors receive a 50% tax credit. Eight active SGOs distributed approximately $23 million in scholarships during 2023-24. Students receiving these scholarships may become eligible for Choice Scholarships the following year.

Additionally, Indiana families can choose from traditional public schools, charter schools (particularly robust in Indianapolis), private schools, and homeschooling with minimal state regulation.

ILEARN is Indiana's statewide standardized assessment for grades 3-8, measuring student proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics. In 2024, 99% of all Indiana students in grades 3-8 completed ILEARN exams (over 491,000 students). The 2024 results showed slight increases in English proficiency across most grades, with grade 4 up 1.5% and grade 7 up 2.3%. For high school, Biology End-of-Course Assessments (ECA) and optional U.S. Government ECA are available. For 2024-25, over 1,200 schools opted into flexible checkpoint assessments for test preparation.

IREAD-3 is a grade three reading assessment designed to measure foundational reading skills based on Indiana Academic Standards. It is an online, untimed, multiple-choice test with three parts: phonics/vocabulary, nonfiction comprehension, and fiction comprehension. Testing windows include spring administration (March 4-15, 2024) and summer administration (May 13 - June 28, 2024). In 2024, 82.5% of third graders passed IREAD-3, compared to 82% in 2023—the largest single-year increase since the assessment began in 2013. Students who do not pass may be subject to reading retention policies, though exemptions are available.

Indiana is designated as a no-notice, low-regulation state by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, making it one of the most homeschool-friendly states in the nation.

What IS Required:

• Instruction must be provided in English
• Instruction must be equivalent to other educational options in the state
• Teach typically 180 days per year (same as public schools)
• Keep attendance records and be prepared to make them available to the state if requested

What is NOT Required:

• No registration or reporting to the Indiana Department of Education (though voluntary reporting is available)
• No standardized testing or documentation of learning progress
• No specific curriculum requirements
• No teacher qualifications for parents

Approximately 7.58% of K-12 students in Indiana were homeschooled during the 2023-24 school year, representing a 400% increase over the past eight years. Indiana families can claim a tax deduction of up to $1,000 per student through the Private School/Homeschool Deduction.

Indiana's K-12 education funding totals $15.2 billion, which equals $14,635 per pupil in funding. Indiana K-12 schools spend $14,162 per pupil annually for a total of $14.7 billion in spending. According to a 2024 report from the Education Data Initiative, Indiana ranks 37th of 50 states in education spending per pupil.

Funding sources include:

• Federal Funding: $1.88 billion ($1,815 per pupil)
• Local Funding: $4.56 billion ($4,398 per pupil)
• State Tuition Support: $8.84 billion for fiscal year 2024, increasing to $9.03 billion in fiscal year 2025

Ball State University economist Michael Hicks has noted that when adjusted for inflation, Indiana is spending approximately $100 less per student annually than in 2010. From 2002 to 2020, Indiana had the second-lowest inflation-adjusted increase in education spending in the nation at only 1.9%.

Fort Wayne Community Schools is the largest school district in Indiana, with 50 schools serving 28,506 students. Located in Fort Wayne in northeast Indiana, the district offers comprehensive K-12 education programs.

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is the second-largest district in the state, with 49 schools serving 21,863 students across 80 square miles through the heart of Indianapolis. Other large districts in the Indianapolis metropolitan area include the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township (17 schools, 15,799 students) and the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township (over 10,000 students).

Based on 2024-2026 Niche rankings analyzing test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, and reviews, the top-ranked districts include West Lafayette Community School Corporation (#1 in Indiana), Carmel Clay Schools (#1 in Indianapolis Area), Zionsville Community Schools, and School Town of Munster, all earning A+ overall grades.

Indiana's high school graduation rate reached a record high of 90.23% for the Class of 2024, surpassing the previous peak of 90.06% set in 2014. This represents an increase from 88.98% in 2023. The federal graduation rate (calculated differently from the state rate) was 88.67% in 2024, up from 87.52% in 2023.

The non-waiver graduation rate, which reflects students completing all diploma requirements without waivers, improved from 84.92% in 2023 to 87.53% in 2024. A 2023 law established new caps on graduation waivers: 9% cap for 2023-2024, dropping to 6% the following year, and down to 3% for each year after June 30, 2025.

While overall rates are strong, disparities persist by demographic group:

• White students: Nearly 92%
• Hispanic students: 87.83%
• Black students: 83.88%
• Special education students: 85.30%
• Students receiving free/reduced meals: 91.52%
• Non-public schools: 92.3%
• Public schools: 90.11%

Yes, Indiana faces ongoing teacher shortages, though the situation has improved slightly from earlier in 2024. As of November 2024, the Indiana Department of Education's job board listed over 1,300 available educator jobs statewide, down from more than 2,200 vacancies in June 2024.

The most critical shortage areas include:

• Special Education: The most severe shortage area statewide
• Elementary and Early Childhood Education: Most unfilled positions are in these grades
• English as a Second Language (ESL): Ongoing shortage, particularly in urban districts with growing ELL populations
• STEM Fields: Science, mathematics, and technology positions remain difficult to fill
• Foreign Language: Consistent shortage across districts

These challenges mirror national trends, with nearly 75% of public schools nationwide reporting difficulty filling teaching positions for the 2024-25 school year. Indiana has implemented various strategies to address shortages, including raising minimum salaries, offering alternative certification pathways, and providing professional development grants and support.

While specific statewide totals fluctuate, Indiana has a substantial and rapidly growing charter school sector, particularly in Indianapolis, which has become one of the nation's leading charter school markets. Indianapolis charter schools experienced 6% enrollment growth from 2023-24 to 2024-25, adding 1,381 new students. Since the pandemic began in 2019-2020, Indianapolis charter enrollment has increased 21%, adding 5,127 students total.

Charter and innovation schools now serve 61% of students within IPS boundaries, demonstrating the significant market share these schools have captured. Charter schools serve predominantly students of color (88% of Indianapolis charter students), with the majority being Black students. In fact, 66% of all Black public school students within IPS boundaries attend charter or innovation schools.

Latino students represent a fast-growing demographic in charter schools, comprising 31% of Indianapolis charter students (up from 22% in 2020-2021). One in four Indianapolis charter school students are English Language Learners (ELL). Statewide, some charter schools have experienced dramatic growth, such as Options Charter School - Carmel (700.78% increase) and 21st Century Charter School of Gary (359.47% increase), though these started from smaller bases.

Charter schools are publicly funded but independently operated, offering families alternatives with specialized curricula, teaching approaches, college prep focus, STEM emphasis, and cultural responsiveness.

Indiana provides comprehensive special education services to students with disabilities from age 3 through 22 at no cost to families through the public school system. The Indiana Department of Education's Office of Special Education oversees compliance with federal IDEA regulations and Indiana's Article 7.

Key Services Include:

• Individualized Education Program (IEP): A written educational plan outlining specific academic and functional goals, objectives, and services for each student. The IEP must be reviewed and updated annually by the case conference committee.
• Facilitated IEP (FIEP): A conflict prevention and resolution option available at no cost to parents or schools upon request.
• Related Services: Speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other supports as determined by the IEP team.
• Technical Assistance: The IEP Technical Assistance Center (formerly Indiana IEP Resource Center) at Indiana State University provides training and support to increase educator capacity and improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Families can access information and support through the Indiana Department of Education Special Education page at in.gov/doe/students/special-education, as well as through advocacy organizations like The Arc of Indiana and IEP-Hope, Inc.