Indianapolis Public Schools announced last week it will stop using Enroll Indy — the enrollment system it shared with charter schools — and move to its own system for the 2027-28 school year.
IPS says the switch will save money and provide an easier experience for families. Critics say it will make Indianapolis’ already complicated school choice landscape even messier, just as a new board created to oversee IPS and city charter schools begins.
Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis), the lawmaker who crafted legislation for the new state law creating the oversight board, said IPS did not break the law when it left Enroll Indy.
The district said the move would save more than $300,000 in annual software and service costs in the first year, and it would provide an easier experience for families by moving enrollment to PowerSchool, a program IPS families already use.
However, it has drawn pushback from groups that support charter schools, including the Indiana Charter Innovation Center and The Mind Trust, who argue that IPS does not have the authority to leave the system.
The enrollment window opens Nov. 5 for traditional IPS schools and IPS innovation schools and the separate Enroll Indy system for charter schools.
The new state law that created the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation states that it has the power to “manage a unified enrollment system applicable to all participating school students.”
Behning agrees the new law does not set hard deadlines or mandate that IPS use Enroll Indy. But he does view the district’s actions of leaving the enrollment system as running against the law’s intent.
“The intent of the whole language was to increase efficiency, and creating two systems does not increase efficiency, it actually makes it a less efficient system,” Behning told WFYI.
He also called IPS’ move “premature,” saying he wishes the district had waited until IPEC’s new executive director started before making the change.
Karega Rausch is the corporation's new leader and his first official day on the job is Sept. 17.
Enroll Indy is an online enrollment system that IPS and most charter schools within the district use. The nonprofit launched in 2017 and was meant to provide a one-stop shop for families wanting to enroll in a public school of their choice in Indianapolis.
Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust, said the move will create confusion for families and schools and he worries about students having equal access to high-quality schools.
“IPS’ decision will take us back to the days of a disjointed, difficult to navigate system that can easily be gamed,” Brown said in a statement.
The Enroll Indy board has also agreed to waive all costs for organizations that use its platform, which includes IPS, the charter school authorizers: the Indianapolis Mayor's Office of Education Innovation and the Indiana Charter School Board.
Enroll Indy’s Interim Executive Director Patrick McAlister told WFYI that the organization would cover the cost of operations this year, which amounts to around $610,000.
“The organization has budgeted prudently and can fully operate for this school year from its cash reserves without additional revenue,” McAlister said. “No Enroll Indy services will need to change.”
However, even with the cost being covered this year, IPS said Wednesday that it would still move forward with only using PowerSchool for enrollment for the upcoming school year.
“While we appreciate that no organization will bear costs for one year, our decision to move enrollment to PowerSchool has always been driven by multiple factors, including cost-savings, operational improvements, and a commitment to providing a better experience for families and staff,” the district said in a statement.
In an online post about the enrollment change, IPS acknowledged that “Until IPEC designs, establishes, and formally launches that process, IPS retains full legal authority to manage its own application and enrollment systems.”
The law that created IPEC contains only a deadline for implementing a unified transportation and performance accountability system by the 2028-29 school year.
Behning predicts IPS will eventually have to change its enrollment system to comply with the law’s other requirements.
“If we're talking about a transportation authority that's going to serve all kids, you're going to need to have an enrollment authority that kind of does the same thing,” Behning said.
Charter schools authorized by the mayor’s office will continue to use Enroll Indy for the upcoming 2027-28 enrollment windows.
Contact WFYI Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org.
