For the first time, Hoosier schools and community members have easier access to information showing where students go when they leave their public school district.
At a time when school choice has changed the political and education landscape in Indiana, knowing where and what kinds of schools students switch to can be invaluable for educators looking to understand the competition they might face from charter schools, private schools, and even other district schools. Every single Indiana district’s enrollment is affected — either positively or negatively — by students leaving or coming into their boundaries.
Last week the Indiana Department of Education released a public school district transfer report for the first time. The report, which includes information from this school year, is the latest data resource provided by the state to help school leaders navigate an ever more complex education landscape.
“Having a greater understanding of every aspect of our local districts will allow our educators to make important decisions and better plans,” said state Superintendent Jennifer McCormick.
The education department is set to release this data every spring and fall. It stems from a bill passed last year with strong bipartisan support that was offered after a lawmaker spoke with a local superintendent who wanted to learn more about why students were leaving her district.
Here are some highlights from the new data. The full document is available on the education department website here.
- 46,972 students live in Indianapolis Public School boundaries. 26,215 — about 55 percent — go to IPS, and 20,815 transfer to other districts, charter schools or private schools using a voucher. Of the students who transfer, 60 percent go to a charter school. That number includes 2,692 students who attend innovation schools.
- Indianapolis Public Schools also attracts 714 students from out of district. The largest number come from township districts. But there are also dozens of students from suburban districts such as Carmel, Brownsburg and Zionsville.
- In Marion County, Beech Grove Schools has gained the most students because of transfers, 823. It is also one of the districts most affected by transfers — 36 percent of Beech Grove students live outside the district. Beech Grove is the only Marion County district that had more students transferring in than out.
- Statewide, the small rural Union School Corporation (about an hour northeast of Indianapolis) stands out — more than 50 percent of the 367 students living in the district transferred to other schools outside the district. But the district also saw a huge influx of students — 631 — coming from other public districts.
- Nearly every district in the state — 284 out of 289 — has students who live in their boundaries attending online charter schools. (Read more about virtual schools here.)
- In Gary, a majority of students (61 percent) are not enrolled in their boundary district.
- Every district in the state loses at least some students to charter schools or other districts. But in 23 districts, not a single student receives vouchers to attend private school.