INDIANAPOLIS, July 20, 2021 — Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC) is pleased to announce the merger between Indiana Virtual Academy (IndVA) and Indiana Online (IO).
“This mutually beneficial acquisition will provide enhanced online courses and services to current IndVA clients, while also growing IO’s statewide impact,” says CIESC Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Melin. “This merger makes IO the largest non-profit provider of online services in the state of Indiana.”
Indiana Online offers full-time and supplemental online high school courses in partnership with over 300 high schools statewide. All courses are designed to meet the Indiana State Standards, are accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED), and approved by the NCAA.
“Indiana Virtual Academy and Indiana Online have had such a presence in the state for over 15 years serving thousands of students,” says IO executive director, Kim Hendrick. “Now that we are one entity, we can continue supporting students throughout the state. The leadership and talent that is joining us from Indiana Virtual Academy is incredible, and we are excited to see how they will help our program grow.”
IndVA leadership, Ally Swensen and Brooke Tyree, will transition to the Indiana Online program and will be available to current and past IndVA students and families for questions.
“The IndVA has worked hand-in-hand with Indiana Online over the years,” says IndVA director Ally Swensen, “as they are the only other online non-profit supplemental provider in the state. The goal of both organizations has always been to ensure that we are doing what is best for Indiana’s students. I believe that this merger is in the best interest of Indiana students, as we are stronger together than we are as separate entities. I am very excited to be a part of such an incredible organization and team.”
Since 2005, the IndVA has been providing Indiana students access to a variety of online high school courses while staying enrolled at their current school. Throughout its history, the IndVA has served over 20,000 students and offered 200 courses.
“We are very pleased to see the strategic partnership between the Indiana Virtual Academy and Indiana Online,” said Rob Moorhead, superintendent at South Ripley Community School Corporation. “Both of these entities have provided excellent online course opportunities for students for many years. By joining together, the services will only continue to improve, and this is a definite win for students all across the state of Indiana.
Moorhead also said, “For me, the success of any organization is driven by the quality of the people involved. Both IndVA and IO have top-quality people that will now be working together to create excellent opportunities for online education for students. I encourage all school leaders to look to Indiana Online for all of their online course needs. Under the umbrella of the Central Indiana Educational Services Center, Indiana Online will continue to flourish for years to come, and the addition of IndVA personnel will only add to the success of this organization.”
Current IndVA students will finish their courses without interruption and all future registrations will be made through Indiana Online. Questions from current and past IndVA students and families can be directed to:
Ally Swensen: aswensen@indianaonline.org
Brooke Tyree: btyree@indianaonline.org
About CIESC
Central Indiana Educational Service Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing free and at-cost educational programs throughout central Indiana and beyond. Last year we served over 180 schools and organizations to provide a better educational experience to over 150,000 children.
