Record-breaking numbers of students in the Indiana public school system are leaving to pursue other educational options. According to data collected from 319 private schools in Indiana, 288 of them have grown within the last three years.
From 2020-2021 to 2021-2022, 154 schools saw an increase in enrolment of up to 30 pupils. The main reasons for the explosive exodus have been mask mandates, learning loss, and critical race theory.
Suburban Christian School in Greenwood, IN, had 320 students registered in 2019-2020. They have 551 registered for the 2021-2022 school year. According to the staff, students are now being placed on waitlists as the schools have exceeded their maximum enrollment capacities. In more rural areas of Indiana, the shift is not to private schools but to homeschool or micro-school options. One primary reason for this is the lack of accessibility to private schools in these locations.
Parents cite a lack of rigor, masking, and virtual mandates as primary reasons for leaving public schools. In Indiana, the mask policies differ widely depending on which district your school is located in.
Coming in third place was the teaching and pushing of critical race theory. Parents also reported that their students were being taught sexually explicit content, especially in the central area of Indiana. Parents have complained about the lack of discipline and poor classroom management in public classrooms.
The school boards have shown little to no support for the parents they’re supposed to represent. According to The Chalkboard Review, “ Knightstown Intermediate School teacher was called “nuts” by the superintendent at a school board meeting for suggesting that students should return to classrooms. Western Wayne Schools passed a resolution in early 2021 banning parents from speaking at school board meetings unless the topic was pre-approved by both the superintendent and school board president.”
Indiana also utilizes a voucher system, where students can receive a voucher in households earning up to $145,000 annually. This increased from the prior limit of $72,000.
A report from Education Week shows that public school enrollment is down throughout the country. Education Week reported, “ America’s public school system lost more than 1.4 million students this year. It will likely have academic, financial, and staffing repercussions for years to come.”
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