Indiana

School Choice Policies

Charter School Choice

Does the state have charter schools?

Are for-profit charter schools or management companies allowed?

Yes-

"An authorizer may not grant a charter to a for-profit entity."

"'Education service provider' means a for profit education management organization, nonprofit charter management organization, school design provider, or any other partner entity with which a charter school intends to contract for educational design, implementation, or comprehensive management."

IC 20-24-3-2(a): Authorization of charter to nonprofit entities

IC 20-24-1-6.1: "Education service provider"

Is there a cap on the number of charter schools?

Did not find-

We did not find information about caps on charter schools in Indiana statutes. Education Commission of the States states that Indiana does not have caps on charters. A state policy expert stated that there is no statewide statutory cap on charter schools.

Education Commission of the States 50-State Comparison

Are charters required to provide transportation for any students?

No-

However, charter school applications must include a transportation plan. Services that a school district provides to a charter school, including transportation, may be provided at no more than 103% of the actual cost of the services.

IC 20-24-3-4 Proposal to establish charter school; required contents
IC 20-24-7-4 Costs of services provided by school corporation; administrative fees for authorizers

Can charter schools employ uncertified teachers?

Yes-

At least ninety percent (90%) of full-time teachers must either: (1) hold any license or permit to teach in a public school in Indiana or (2) be in the process of obtaining a license to teach in a public school in Indiana under the transition to teaching program

IC 20-24-6-5 General and alternative qualifications for full time teachers; part time teachers; other providers of service

Virtual School Choice

Do state statutes allow for full-time virtual schools?

Yes-

Indiana statutes allow for "virtual education programs" and "virtual charter schools."

IC 20-24-7-13 Virtual charter schools; funding; reporting
IC 20-19-9 School Corporation Virtual Education Programs

Are virtual schools required to track attendance?

Yes-

Charter schools must comply with state compulsory attendance law (IC 20-33-2: compulsory school attendance).

IC 20-24-8-5(10): Applicable statutes, rules, and guidelines

Do virtual schools have to comply with state teacher certification requirements?

Yes-

"An individual who is employed as a licensed teacher at a virtual charter school must comply with any mandatory licensed teacher training that is required under this title."

IC 20-24-5-4.5(d): Onboarding requirements; teacher training requirements; student residency requirement

Private School Choice

Does the state have voucher programs?

Yes-

Indiana statutes allow for the Choice Scholarship Program.

IC 20-51-4

Does the state have educational expense tuition tax credits or deductions?

Yes-

Indiana statutes allow for the Private School/Homeschool Deduction program: A taxpayer who makes an unreimbursed education expenditure in a private elementary or high school education program during the taxpayer's taxable year is entitled to a deduction against the taxpayer's adjusted gross income in the taxable year.

IC 6-3-2-22

Can students use vouchers to attend religious schools?

Yes-

For the Choice Scholarship Program, an "'eligible school' refers to a public or nonpublic elementary school or high school..."

Indiana statute IC-20-18-2-12 defines a "nonpublic school" as: a school that is not maintained by a school corporation. The term includes a private school or parochial school.

IC 20-51-1-4.7(5): Eligible school
IC 20-18-2-12: Nonpublic school

Is there a cap on the number of students or private schools participating in voucher programs?

No-

However, there was a cap at one point: "The department may not award more than: (1) seven thousand five hundred (7,500) choice scholarships for the school year beginning July 1, 2011, and ending June 30, 2012; and (2) fifteen thousand (15,000) choice scholarships for the school year beginning July 1, 2012, and ending June 30, 2013."

IC 20-51-4-2: Eligibility for scholarships; limit on number of scholarships

Are voucher students in private schools required to take any standardized tests?

Yes-

"'Eligible school' refers to a public or nonpublic elementary school or high school that:
(5) administers the statewide assessment program"

IC 20-51-1-4.7(5): Eligible school

Can private schools be removed from voucher programs based on performance?

Yes-

"1. If the school is placed in either of the lowest two categories or designations under IC 20-31-8-3 for two consecutive years, the department shall suspend choice scholarship payments for one year for new students.

2. If the school is placed in either of the lowest two categories or designations under IC 20-31-8-3 for three consecutive years, the department shall suspend choice scholarship payments for new students until the school is placed in the middle category or higher category or designation, for two consecutive years.

3. If the school is placed in the lowest category or designation under IC 20-31-8-3 for three consecutive years, the department shall suspend choice scholarship payments for new students until the school is placed in the middle category or higher category or designation, for three consecutive years."

IC 20-51-4-9: Consequences for eligible schools in lowest performance categories; waiver or delay

Are private schools in voucher programs required to provide transportation?

No-

However, "if a student who attends a nonpublic school located in a school corporation...resides on or along the highway constituting the regular route of a public school bus, the governing body of the school corporation shall provide transportation for the nonpublic...student on the school bus."

IC 20-27-11-1(a): Transportation of rural charter and nonpublic school students

Interdistrict School Choice

Does the state have interdistrict choice programs?

Yes-

"The parents of any student, regardless of the student's age, or the student after the student has become eighteen (18) years of age may request a transfer from a school corporation in which the student has a legal settlement to a transferee school corporation in Indiana or another state if the student may be better accommodated in the public schools of the transferee corporation. Whether the student can be better accommodated depends on such matters as:
(1) crowded conditions of the transferee or transferor corporation; and
(2) curriculum offerings at the high school level that are important to the vocational or academic aspirations of the student."

IC 20-26-11-5(a) Transfer at request of parent or student; approval; appeal

Are receiving schools or districts required to provide transportation to any students?

Did not find-

We did not find information about interdistrict transportation requirements in Indiana statutes. However, an Indiana policy expert stated receiving schools/districts are not required to provide transportation. Additionally, Indiana DOE states that parents engaging in an interdistrict transfer are responsible for the transportation of the student.

Indiana Dept. of Education: TRANSFER REQUEST APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR SCHOOL CORPORATIONS AND PARENTS

Page last updated: January 2021

Click here to download the State Policy Spreadsheet. Click here to download the State Policy Map Data Memo.

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The State Policy Map provides a snapshot of school choice policy found in laws passed by the legislative bodies, for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on information gathered from state statutes in fall 2019; data checks continued through December 2020. Information on this site may not include the most up-to-date policy information. The State Policy Map does not systematically reflect state Department of Education administrative policies, rules, or regulations. All content on this site is provided for informational purposes only. Links to third-party websites are for the user’s convenience; neither REACH nor any affiliated entities endorse the contents of third-party sites.

Note: On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Montana's exclusion of religious schools from the state's tax credit scholarship program was unconstitutional (Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue 591). The responses to the question "Can students use vouchers to attend religious schools?" were collected before this ruling and therefore do not reflect any changes resulting from the Espinoza decision.