Student enrollment now open for Indy Summer Learning Labs

Five-week summer program for first through ninth graders will be held June 21 to July 22 in Marion County

INDIANAPOLIS – Student enrollment opened today for Indy Summer Learning Labs, a five-week learning and enrichment program aimed at boosting learning over summer break.

The all-day program provides high-quality academic instruction and fun activities in a safe environment for Marion County students who will be entering first through ninth grade in the fall. Now in its second year, the program was created by The Mind Trust and United Way of Central Indiana and is funded in large part by grants from the Indiana Department of Education.

This year’s program is designed to reach up to 5,000 students and will be held June 21 through July 22 at about 40 locations, including community centers, churches, and schools. Numerous sites will be offered at Indianapolis Public Schools and the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township.

A full list of sites can be found at indysummerlearninglabs.com/confirmed-locations and will be updated as more locations are added. Families can enroll their students by contacting the location they’d like to attend. Indy Summer Learning Labs are either free or low cost, depending on the site’s specific program. Information on cost, hours of operation, and enrollment contacts for each site can be found at indysummerlearninglabs.com/confirmed-locations. Enrollment ends June 6.

The Mind Trust and United Way of Central Indiana launched Indy Summer Learning Labs last year to address pandemic learning loss, and about 3,000 students participated.

Indy Summer Learning Labs students saw academic gains in English Language Arts and math. Assessments taken before and after the program showed a 20 percentage point increase in basic and proficient scores in English Language Arts and a 27 percentage point increase in basic and proficient math. (A full report on the results of last year’s program can be found here.)

The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated existing inequities in education, and work continues this year to ensure all students have access to high-quality learning that will prepare them to enter the next grade. The program is open to all students but is focused on helping those who stand to gain the most from summer academic programming.  

Indy Summer Learning Labs was initially funded by a $500,000 investment from United Way of Central Indiana and The Mind Trust, with an additional $11.1 million Student Learning Recovery Grant from the Indiana Department of Education. This year, the state awarded an additional $4.1 million to the program.