Students embrace technology in Indiana's growing virtual school sector

Students in Indiana are increasingly turning to virtual K-12 options as the state’s sector expands amid continuing legislative debate over tuition support and oversight. The article highlights Sabanna Yenna, who attended Indiana Digital Learning School’s in-person commencement at Hinkle Fieldhouse with about 900 classmates during the ceremony. Yenna enrolled in the virtual school in her freshman year to avoid bullying at North White School Corp. in White County, and later joined the FFA and became president of the National Technical Honor Society chapter. An Indiana Capital Chronicle review says nearly 29,000 Hoosiers attended virtual K-12 schools in 2025, based on enrollment data through the state’s Graduates Prepared to Succeed portal. Supporters argue virtual options help students regain credits and rejoin in-person schooling, while critics say expansion signals problems in Indiana’s school funding model and calls for more supervision. The growth is driven in part by traditional public schools using cooperative agreements with third-party providers, potentially capturing portions of state tuition tied to virtual students.