Evan Eagleson is a Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action. In this role, he aids the advancement of student-centered legislation in the Great Lakes region.
Indiana’s 2025 legislative session adjourned in late April, capping a fast-paced four months that ended with big wins for students and families.
Despite late-breaking news that the state faced revenue shortfalls, legislative leaders stayed the course on education.
Thanks to the commitment of education champions—Gov. Mike Braun, Education Secretary Katie Jenner, Speaker Todd Huston, President Pro Temp Rod Bray, Reps. Bob Behning and Jeff Thompson and Sens. Jeff Raatz and Ryan Mishler—Indiana once again made student-centered education a top priority—even during tight budget negotiations that went down to the wire.
“Government is doing exactly what Hoosier families have to do,” Speaker Huston said. “We’re living within our means and tightening our belts. This budget reduces government spending while funding our most critical priorities and providing continued income tax relief for Hoosiers.”
Here’s a full rundown of key education outcomes from the 2025 Indiana legislative session.
The two-year state budget included a 2% increase in education funding, securing $640 million in new dollars for schools over the biennium.
Indiana took major steps to reduce the funding disparity between traditional public schools and charter schools by requiring school districts to share a much greater percentage of local funding for the operation of schools. Only a handful of states are leading the charge to eliminate funding inequities by requiring the sharing of local tax dollars.
Indiana also broke down other policy barriers by requiring centralized planning for sharing of school buildings and transportation services between traditional districts and charter schools, starting in Indianapolis.
“We’re really trying to share a significant number of assets that have never been shared before with charters and families,” Rep. Behning said. And the Indianapolis-based Mind Trust called Indiana’s legislative session “extraordinary…in terms of moving towards a system where all kids are funded fairly.”
Indiana may become a national model for equitable charter school funding that is not only focused on facilities but extends to operations as well.
Indiana also took a historic step for private school choice by establishing universal eligibility for the state’s Choice Scholarship Program, beginning in year two of the budget cycle. This landmark change means that, starting in the 2026-27 term, every Hoosier student, regardless of family income, will have access to a state scholarship to attend a private school of their family’s choice.
Indiana continued its leadership connecting education to career pathways by maintaining funding for the state’s pioneering Career Scholarship Account (CSA) program at $10 million per year.
In addition, the legislature renewed its investment in career advising and planning by funding career coaching initiatives at $7.5 million per year. This funding will help expand and refine services that guide students through academic and career decision-making.
While the legislative session was underway, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced unprecedented partnerships with higher education, business, industry and the military to guarantee students meaningful outcomes through the state’s redesigned high school experience. As part of the state’s new diploma structure, high school students can earn readiness seals toward enrollment in college, employment and enlistment beginning next year. Most significantly, students earning the Enrollment Honors Plus Seal will receive automatic acceptance at all seven of the state’s public colleges/universities.
Dozens of states, including Indiana, have passed transformational early literacy policy in recent years. Indiana is now leading the way when it comes to comprehensive math policy.
Reps. Jake Teshka, Julie McGuire and Bob Behning authored HB 1634, which requires math screenings for students in grades K-2, supports and interventions for students at risk of falling behind, educator preparation in evidence-based math pedagogy and content, and automatic enrollment in advanced math courses for high-performing middle school students.
With an eye towards strengthening the teacher pipeline, the state budget included $35 million in funding for the state’s Teacher Appreciation Grant program along with programmatic changes that will help better recognize and reward Indiana’s top educators.
Additionally, SB 146 increased the minimum starting teacher salary to $45,000 and required that 65% of state tuition support dollars be directed specifically toward teacher salaries. The legislation empowers the Indiana Department of Education to rank teacher preparation programs, providing more transparency and encouraging improvements in educator preparation across the state.
HB 1498 brought updates to Indiana’s school accountability framework.
Bringing back A-F school grades is a step in the right direction for accountability and for parents who want easy-to-understand measures as they make schooling decisions for their children. The State Board of Education will soon begin the rulemaking process for implementing these changes, ensuring stakeholders will have a chance to provide input as the new system is designed.
Finally, HB 1515 created a new opportunity for innovation in school operations.
The legislation launched a three-year pilot program to establish centralized facilities and transportation boards for participating schools.
These boards will coordinate facilities management and student transportation services, providing schools with more efficient and cost-effective support. At the conclusion of the pilot, a comprehensive report will evaluate the impact of the program and guide future improvements.
Despite a challenging fiscal environment, Indiana leaders once again demonstrated a commitment to student-centered policies.
Strategic investments in education funding, expanded school choice options, continued development of career pathways and stronger support for teachers and schools all signal a continuing commitment to excellence and opportunity for every Hoosier student.
As implementation of these policies gets underway, Indiana is well positioned to sustain its strong national reputation for education policy fundamentals and innovations and to push further ahead.
Students, families and educators across the state will benefit from this thoughtful and future-focused session. We look forward to seeing Indiana continue to lead and drive results.
