The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation tracks higher education attainment in the U.S.
(Flickr)
Hoosiers are still behind the state goal for post-high school education and the national average despite a slight increase, according to a new report from the Lumina Foundation.
Lumina, a private, Indianapolis-based foundation, has used public data to track learning beyond high school for adults 25 to 64. Since 2009, Lumina’sStronger Nationreport has recorded higher education attainment — which could be certifications, certificates, associate, bachelor and graduate degrees.
About 53.4 percent of Hoosiers had a credential beyond high school in 2023, the most recent available data. The number is up from 53.3 percent the year before. Indiana trails behind the national average, which is just under 55 percent.
In 2009, only 33 percent of Hoosiers had education beyond high school.
Courtney Brown, Lumina vice president of impact and planning, said every state has reported “incredible growth” over the last 15 years.
“I do think we will continue to see increases in attainment,” Brown said. “But we have to continue to focus our efforts on that. We have to continue to promote practices and policies that increase access, increase success, so that we don't continue to have 42 million people in the United States (who) have some college, no degree.”
About 32 percent of Black Hoosiers have a higher education credential, about the same as the year before. Nationally, all races have seen gains, though white and Asian populations tend to have higher rates.
“The big story is actually the Hispanic-Latino population,” Brown said, referring to national data. “They have increased by more than nine points. That actually represents a nearly 50 percent increase, the most of any race or ethnicity since 2009.”
Lumina set a goal of increasing post-high school attainment to 60 percent in 2025 in the U.S. Brown said it was an ambitious goal, but she’s optimistic. The data for 2025 won’t be available until 2027.
Indiana also adopted that goal for working-age adults, with leaders stressing the need for a more educated workforce.
While states such as Indiana have advocated for short-term certifications and faster credentials, Brown said bachelor’s degrees still make up the majority.
“They're focusing on certificates and certifications, but the degrees are also going up,” Brown said.
In Indiana, just under half of the population had an associate’s, bachelor’s or graduate degree in 2023.
In 2018, Lumina started reporting both certificates and industry-recognized certifications. The percentage of Hoosiers with certificates rose from 4.3 percent in 2018 to 7.2 percent in 2023. But in the same time frame, certifications dropped from 5.6 percent to 4.5 percent.
Forty-two states and Puerto Rico showed increases over the last year. Indiana is about in the middle of the country in terms of attainment, while the District of Columbia tops the country at 75 percent.
Nationally, people 25 to 34 are almost at 57 percent, Brown said, “which is pretty remarkable progress.” That age group tends to show where the nation is heading for the future.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright
