Improvement in the Non-Waiver Graduation Rate
Friday, December 30, 2022
Kim Preston
Assistant Secretary of External Affairs & Partnerships
kpreston@doe.in.gov
INDIANAPOLIS - Today, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) released the 2022 state graduation rates, with data showing 86.61% of students in the Class of 2022 graduating.
“Graduating high school is an important milestone as students transition to their next step, whether that’s employment, enrollment or enlistment leading to service,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “As we seek new and innovative ways to ensure students are best prepared for their future, we must continue to rethink how those four years are structured. This includes increasing the number of students having access to a high-value postsecondary credential before graduation, increasing access to high-quality work-based learning opportunities that allow for additional skill development, as well as providing flexibility for high schools – allowing them to focus on strategic, rigorous coursework that is purposeful for each student’s unique path.”
A spreadsheet with statewide-, corporation- and school-level graduation data is available here.
While overall, the statewide graduation rate held relatively steady as many students are continuing to recover from the academic impacts of pandemic-related learning disruptions, below are some of the key areas of success from the 2022 graduation data:
- Statewide, graduation rates increased for:
- Black students – from 77.05% in 2021 to 77.52% in 2022;
- Hispanic students – from 82.66% in 2021 to 83.86% in 2022;
- English Learners – from 82.80% in 2021 to 85.60% in 2022;
- Special education students – from 74.52% in 2021 to 76.39% in 2022; and
- Students receiving free and reduced price meals – from 82.84% in 2021 to 83.74% in 2022.
- The non-waiver graduation rate improved from 78.78% in 2021 to 80.58% in 2022. Per Indiana Code (IC 20-32-4-4.1), to qualify for a waiver, a student will have been unsuccessful in completing postsecondary-readiness competency requirements by the conclusion of his/her senior year. This includes:
- A student who was in the process of completing a competency at one school that was not offered by the school to which the student transferred; and
- A student who has attempted to achieve at least three separate postsecondary-readiness competencies.
Due to differences between federal and state accountability equations and standards, IDOE also released 2022 federal graduation rates. In 2022, Indiana’s federal graduation rate was 85.12% (full data set can be accessed here).
| State Graduation Rate | Federal Graduation Rate | Honors Diploma (Academic, Technical or IB) | Non-Waiver Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 86.61% | 85.12% | 38.71% | 80.58% |
| 2021 | 86.69% | 85.75% | 39.6% | 78.78% |
| 2020 | 87.69%* | 87.0%* | 40.3%* | N/A** |
| 2019 | 87.29% | 86.4% | 39.8% | 76.73% |
*Note: Graduation rates in 2020 reflect the State Board of Education’s waiver of the Graduation Qualifying Exam requirement for the 2020 cohort, which could not be administered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this waiver, caution should be exercised when comparing 2019 and 2021 rates to rates in 2020.
**Note: Since the Graduation Qualifying Exam requirement was waived for students graduating in 2020, there is no non-waiver rate for that year.