Indianapolis Public Schools announced Friday that it will retire the Enroll Indy website and move all enrollment functions – applications, lotteries and registrations – to the district’s existing PowerSchool system. Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the shift will simplify the process for IPS families and redirect savings back into classrooms.
Why the district is making the change
Johnson explained that PowerSchool is already familiar to parents, teachers and staff, allowing the district to create a single, streamlined experience. “We’re creating a one‑stop experience that allows our team to directly support families at every step of the enrollment process,” she said. The district also expects to save more than $300,000 in annual software and service costs in the first year, according to spokesperson Marc Ransford.
Financial impact
IPS paid up to $21,730 per month to Enroll Indy from September 2022 through June 2023. By moving to PowerSchool, the district projects that the $300,000‑plus in annual savings will be redirected to classroom resources. The district is also pursuing $20 million in budget cuts and may see additional savings if voters reject a tax measure on the November ballot.
Charter leaders push back
Charter advocates, including the Indiana Charter Innovation Center and The Mind Trust, criticized the decision, warning that it could return families to a fragmented enrollment system. “IPS’ decision will take us back to the days of a disjointed, difficult‑to‑navigate system that can easily be gamed,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. The Mind Trust helped launch Enroll Indy and contributed $575,000 to the nonprofit in 2025.
Enroll Indy’s board, composed of IPS and charter representatives, expressed disappointment, noting that the platform has provided “efficient, equitable access to enrollment at the city’s highest‑quality schools.” However, Ransford noted that state law does not prohibit IPS from using a different enrollment platform at this time, and the district’s contract with Enroll Indy ended in June.
Legal and governance context
The move comes as the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC), a board appointed by Mayor Joe Hogsett, assumes greater oversight of IPS and charter schools. IPEC’s charter‑heavy membership has raised questions about the authority to change enrollment systems. State law gives IPEC the power to “manage a unified enrollment system applicable to all participating school students,” but IPEC has not commented on the legality of IPS’s decision.
Shaina Cavazos, director of the Office of Education Innovation in the mayor’s office, wrote to charter leaders that all Office of Education Innovation (OEI) schools must continue using Enroll Indy, highlighting a potential split in enrollment requirements across the district.
What families can expect
The transition will take effect for the 2027‑28 application cycle, with the lottery opening on November 5. Ransford said the district will notify families of the change on Friday evening. Parents who previously used Enroll Indy to compare IPS and charter options will now need to navigate the PowerSchool platform for district schools, while charter schools may continue using Enroll Indy independently.
While the district emphasizes cost savings and a more direct support model for families, charter leaders remain concerned about reduced transparency and the potential for a less unified enrollment experience across Indianapolis schools.
Original reporting: Mirror Indy — read the source article.
