Indiana Submits Waiver Request to Prioritize Student Learning Over Federal Bureaucracy

This waiver request is aimed at reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and empowering schools to focus on student success.

INDIANAPOLIS - Following more than a month of public comment, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has submitted a federal waiver request seeking flexibility from specific requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This waiver request is aimed at reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and empowering schools to focus on student success.

Governor Mike Braun praised the submission, which emphasizes Indiana’s commitment to high expectations, less red tape, smarter accountability, and stronger support for vulnerable students.

“Indiana continues to lead the nation in education and innovation,” said Governor Braun. “We can best support Hoosier students when we return education to the states, empower parents with high-quality educational options, get red tape out of the way for educators, and focus on improvement for every student.”

The waiver request highlights Indiana’s strong momentum in literacy, STEM, and rethinking high school, and positions Indiana as a national leader in balancing flexibility with progress and accountability. Below are just a few examples of how Indiana continues to deliver strong results for students:

• A 5 percentage point increase in third grade literacy rates in just one year - the largest in Indiana history;
• Increasing literacy rates for all student populations in 2025;
• Rising to 6th in the nation in reading, based on NAEP;
• An over 4 percentage point improvement in chronic absenteeism since 2022;
• A significant increase in math proficiency across all grade levels since 2021;
• Leading the nation in terms of students completing at least one college course in high school; and
• The highest graduation rate on record in 2024.

“With the opportunity to return education back to the states, we had a clear choice to make in Indiana: continue with the status quo or seize this moment to gain the flexibilities needed to remove federal barriers to more urgently move the needle for students,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “As a state, we are leaning in to seize this moment, and today, our message to Washington is clear: Indiana is ready and eager, so give us the flexibility to keep driving forward for Indiana students!”

Indiana’s waiver request is limited to provisions within ESEA; it does not request to waive provisions within other federal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The U.S. Department of Education has 120 days to respond to Indiana’s waiver request and provide feedback. If approved, the flexibilities would go into effect beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.

 A copy of Indiana’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver request can be found here.