Too many kids slip through the cracks in our classrooms. That’s a hard statement, but it’s true.
Absenteeism is a significant problem; students lose interest as they advance through school, and nationwide scores in reading and math remain stubbornly low.
In 2024, the Nation’s Report Card revealed that just 22% of 12th graders reached proficiency in math, while only 35% did so in reading. Additionally, while Indiana’s chronic absenteeism rate fell to 16.7% in 2024-25, the challenge continues to affect far too many students. By the time many reach high school, they’ve checked out of a system that feels unimportant to their lives.
Fifty-three percent of Indiana’s high school graduates move on to attend a four-year college or university, and about half of those students graduate on time. The need to reinvent school is evident in attendance rates, test scores and lost opportunities.
This points to one truth: our education system wasn’t built for the world our students are growing up in — and it’s time to change that.
Here in Indiana, we are proving that there is a better way forward.
Five Indiana high schools are part of a national movement to create a new educational architecture that encompasses a broader set of goals, rigorous and engaging learning experiences and meaningful signals.
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