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Indiana
155,415 high school students

State Profile
As states work to raise their academic standards, several national high school reform initiatives are assisting them in their efforts to strengthen their high schools so that they provide students with a 21st century education and skills.

Through the profile provided here, the National High School Center offers (a) a snapshot of the state’s graduation requirements and college entrance requirements (see table below) and (b) summaries of national reform initiatives active in the state (see list below table).

High School and College Alignment in the State
The following table shows the state’s alignment between high school graduation requirements and minimum state college entrance requirements, providing a quick source for determining whether there is a gap between what students must know to graduate and what they are expected to have mastered in order to enter college.

High School Graduation Requirements* College Admission Requirements**

English Units

8
Including a balance of literature, composition and speech.

4

Mathematics Units

6

3

 

Algebra I (2), Geometry (2), Algebra II (2)

Social Studies Units

6

3

 

U.S. History (2); U.S. Government (1); Economics (1); World History/Civilization or Geography/History of the World (2)

Science Units

6

3

 

Biology I (2); Chemistry I or Physics I or Integrated Chemistry-Physics (2); any Core 40 science course (2)

 w/lab

Foreign Language Units

N/S

N/S

Art Units

N/S

N/S

Additional Units

P.E. - 2
Health - 1
Directed Electives (including world languages, fine arts, and CTE)- 5
Electives - 6

Combination of foreign language, computer science or additional mathematics, laboratory sciences, social sciences, or English courses - 4

Total Units

40

18

Tests

Graduation Qualifying Exam

SAT or ACT including the writing section

* High school graduation requirements are in credits.
** Admissions requirements for Indiana University - Indianapolis campus.

National High School Improvement Initiatives at Work in the State
As states work to ready high school students for postsecondary success, many are partnering with national organizations to undertake high school improvement efforts. The following list includes national improvement initiatives at work in the state. National initiatives are defined as significant programs, projects, technical assistance, or key information clearinghouses dedicated to high school improvement. For information about and related to research on these initiatives, please click on the name of the initiative to link to a synthesis:


Indiana State High School Improvement Initiatives
For information on high school improvement initiatives launched at the state level visit Indiana’s High School Redesign Web page.

Indiana ARRA Information
For information on Indiana's ARRA efforts as it relates to education, please visit the state Web page.