Indianapolis posts largest school enrollment slump since COVID-19 pandemic

Continuing a national trend, Indianapolis Public Schools is working to adjust operations as it records its largest enrollment decline since the 2019-20 COVID-19 pandemic year. 

Enrollment plunged by 6% in the district to 19,774 students in the 2025-26 academic year. Meanwhile, “independent charters and charters in the district’s Innovation Network” saw a smaller decline – almost 3% – within that timeframe to just below 22,000 students, Chalkbeat Indiana reported. 

“Overall, 41,663 students attend IPS or charter schools, with roughly 47% at IPS and about 53% at charters. (The analysis also includes charter schools just outside of IPS where a majority of students live in district borders.)” 

The district downplayed the news, pointing to similar statistics in other states. 

“The reality facing public schools across the U.S. is that enrollment has been decreasing,” it concluded in a statement. “We will continue to thoughtfully navigate these shifts while also working hard to be the preferred choice for more families.” 

Enrollment declines amid ‘financial crunch’ 

Journalists highlighted several factors potentially contributing to the enrollment loss, such as “declining birth rates, stricter immigration policy, and other school options.” 

“In Indianapolis, the declines could exacerbate a financial crunch schools are expecting through incoming property tax reforms estimated to cost school districts millions,” Chalkbeat observed. “In addition to property tax revenue, schools receive state funding that’s based on enrollment.” 

In addition, the state is pondering legislation to create an Indianapolis Public Education Corporation to “own all school buildings and run transportation services” in a major structural overhaul to its current system. 

“We do think that’s a really thoughtful strategy to both work to increase the number of kids that are attending higher quality operators, and to make sure that schools are operating as near to their capacity as possible,” said Brandon Brown, head of the nonprofit Mind Trust (responsible for launching many Indianapolis charter schools). 

‘Remarkably stable’ enrollment when counting charter schools 

Despite the overall decrease, the smaller decline in charter schools – both independent and those in the district – helped offset the total enrollment loss.  

“IPS noted that enrollment in its portfolio of schools – which include both traditional schools and those in the Innovation Network – has remained ‘remarkably stable,’” Chalkbeat reported. 

“The Mind Trust, meanwhile, noted that more students are attending autonomous schools – charters and Innovation Network schools, both charter and non-charter – than traditional district schools.” 

As previously reported by The Lion, Gov. Mike Braun recently touted Indiana as a national leader in education reform by expanding school choice and improving higher education policies. 

“We are now cited as the state that all the other 49 are looking at,” he said. “We’re further down the trail when it comes to parental choice and directing kids to degrees that make sense – not just blindly saying, ‘Do this.’”