Indianapolis Public Schools confirmed last week it was departing Enroll Indy, the citywide enrollment platform used by the district and most charter schools in the city for roughly a decade, and reaffirmed that choice Wednesday even after the nonprofit waived its fees for a year. The district plans to move enrollment internally using PowerSchool software, starting with registration for the 2027-28 school year, which opens Nov. 5. According to district spokesperson Marc Ransford, the switch will save IPS more than $300,000 in software and service fees paid to Enroll Indy in the first year alone. The district is confronting $20 million in budget reductions, with potentially deeper cuts ahead if voters turn down a tax measure on the November ballot. Enroll Indy bills IPS and charter authorizers annually based on student numbers served. The departure applies only to schools run directly by IPS and Innovation Network schools that aren't charters, not to charter schools in the city. Innovation Network schools operate independently within the district, and many hold charter status.
The Enroll Indy board voted unanimously Monday to run the unified enrollment system at no charge for the 2027-28 enrollment cycle, drawing on the nonprofit's cash reserves, according to interim executive director Patrick McAlister. The board includes representatives from IPS and two charter authorizers: the Office of Education Innovation at the City of Indianapolis and the Indiana Charter School Board. IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson and COO William Murphy both sit on the board. For about 10 years, families have relied on Enroll Indy to register for the vast majority of both IPS and charter schools inside Center Township, using a shared application, school information, and enrollment specialists for support.
In a statement Wednesday, IPS said the move 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 its new system will offer a simplified experience with in-person and multilingual help, personalized assistance during school closures and other transitions, and year-round access. IPS also pointed to state law, noting that while the statute creating the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation grants IPEC authority to "manage a unified enrollment system applicable to all participating school students," it doesn't specifically name Enroll Indy, so the district retains full legal power to manage its own enrollment until IPEC formally launches a system. The district's contract with Enroll Indy ended in June, Ransford said previously.
The decision sparked pushback Friday from the Enroll Indy board and charter school leaders, who warned the change would generate "confusion and instability" and questioned whether IPS had the authority to act. The dispute unfolds as a new mayor-appointed board, IPEC, assumes key duties for IPS and charter schools from individual school boards—including the elected IPS board—in an effort to share resources more efficiently across schools. The overwhelming majority of IPEC board members have charter school connections. IPS's exit fragments a decade-old system designed to streamline choice for families, raising questions about whether separate enrollment portals will make navigating school options harder or whether the district's internal platform will deliver the promised improvements while cutting costs.