Indiana’s high school graduation rate ticks up slightly

Indiana's high schools posted an overall graduation rate of 88.1 percent in 2018, up from 87.2 percent in 2017, according to data released this week by the Indiana Department of Education.

Indiana graduation rates have held relatively steady since 2011, fluctuating by small amounts each year. That’s a contrast with the national trend of rising graduation rates in recent years.

Most schools graduate the vast majority of their students. But graduation rates remain stubbornly low at some schools, such as charter schools that specialize in serving adults and virtual charter schools.

The graduation rate in Indianapolis Public Schools dipped by about 3 percentage points, a reversal for a district that has seen five years of gains. Last year, the administration closed three of the district’s seven high schools as part of an overhaul designed to encourage students to choose high schools based on their interests.

For the first time, the state also released a second set of graduation rates that meet new federal guidelines. That figure does not include students who graduate with a general diploma, a pared-down option typically earned by students who struggle academically or those with special needs. The parallel graduation rates won’t last long — state law changed so that this year, the Indiana diploma meets federal guidelines.

In 2018, Indiana’s federal graduation rate was 87.23 percent, and the federal non-waiver rate was 79.97 percent.

A searchable database can be found here on Chalkbeat Indiana's website. Tthe state does not release data for schools with fewer than 10 students in their graduating class to comply with federal privacy laws.

Chalkbeat is a not-for-profit news site covering educational change in public schools.