On Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) released the 2021 state graduation rates, with data showing 86.69% of students in the class of 2021 graduating.
Due to differences between federal and state accountability equations and standards, IDOE also released 2021 federal graduation rates. In 2021, Indiana’s federal graduation rate was 85.75%.
The seven area school corporations and Lakeland Christian Academy all had a higher graduation rate for 2021 than the state average, with Manchester Community Schools having the highest at nearly 94%. Only Wa-Nee and Wawasee community schools had federal graduation rates that slightly varied from the state rate.
“Across our state, our educators, families and community leaders are working to be difference-makers in our students’ lives, preparing them not only for graduation but for the rapidly-changing world that awaits,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education, in a news release from the IDOE. “Looking ahead into 2022 and beyond, we must continue to work together to ensure our students earn their high school diploma and have access to intentional post-secondary credentials in high school. This mission takes all of us as we strive to make an impact on our students’ lives, now and well into the future.”
The 2021 Indiana state graduation rates for local school corporations, according to the IDOE website, are:
• Wa-Nee Community Schools, 187 graduates out of a cohort of 203, 92.12%. The federal graduation rate is 187 out of 204, or 91.67%.
• Wawasee Community School Corporation, 175 of 191, 91.62%. The federal graduation rate is 175 of 192, or 91.15%.
• Warsaw Community School Corporation, 433 of 479, 90.40%.
• Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation, 123 of 134, 91.79%.
• Whitko Community School Corporation, 89 of 98, 90.82%.
• Triton School Corporation, 53 of 61, 86.89%.
• Manchester Community Schools, 104 of 111, 93.69%.
Nonpublic school graduation rates are:
• Pierceton Woods Academy, 4 of 11, 36.36%.
• Lakeland Christian Academy, 22 of 24, 91.67%.
On the state graduation rate, the IDOE news release states that “These graduation rates correspond with research that shows that the academic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are substantial. According to research from IDOE and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment Inc., the academic impact ranges from moderate to significant across schools, academic subjects and demographic groups. In response, IDOE launched several accelerated learning programs, which are still underway and will be joined by additional efforts planned for next year.”
This year, nearly 40% of Hoosier students graduated with a Core 40 honors diploma (academic, technical or both) or an International Baccalaureate diploma, the release states. Additionally, more than 78% graduated without requiring a waiver from passing the Graduation Qualifying Exam – an increase of nearly two percentage points from 2019.
