Despite Indiana’s persistent low ranking among the states, the state has been moving up in educational attainment. So has Indianapolis. The high school graduation and college attainment rates of the city and the state have never been higher. Yet we still have reason for concern. First, our rate of improvement is little better than the nation, so we are not moving up in the states’ ranking. Second, very recent school results suggest too many youths drop out of Indianapolis schools, which would mean a reversal of the upward trend.

The wide-angle view of our region and state that appears in the chart shows a positive trend. To understand and appreciate more recent developments, we need to look closely at the educational attainment of various age cohorts.