INDIANAPOLIS — New data analyzed by Indianapolis Public Schools revealed the school system saw a steady increase in graduation rates over the last two years.
In 2020, IPS found the percentage of students graduating within four years was 74.8%, as compared to the state average of 87.7%.
In 2021, the district said their rates rose to 76%, while the state’s dropped to 86.7%. By 2022, the IPS rate increased to 80% while the state average fell to 86.6%.
IPS leaders credited the rise in graduation rates to programs designed to increase academic rigor and support teachers.
“Students are monitored through a steady cadence of reports shared with our schools, including freshman and sophomore on-track data along with predictive graduation data,” said Rodney W. Smith, the district's director of post-secondary planning.
Smith credited efforts to ramping up the rigor of SAT Suite of Assessments, and coupled with students' access to Khan Academy to support test preparedness.
The district said it is on a path to meet one of the goals set by the IPS Board of School Commissioners, which says that by 2025, the percentage of students graduating within four years will increase from 74.83% to 87%. That's measured by Indiana Department of Education graduation requirements.
IPS also found graduation rates were above 80% for seven of the district's 10 high schools, and that includes three of four direct-managed school. Every subgroup achieved a higher graduation rate in 2022 than in 2021, and that graduation rates for Black, Hispanic and Asian students were higher, or on par, with peers statewide.
