Our Superintendent
Dr. Aleesia Johnson
Superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools
Dr. Aleesia Johnson is an educator with over two decades of distinguished service and leadership. She currently serves as superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), the largest district in Indiana serving more than 30,000 students. Named superintendent in 2019, Johnson has achieved success as a teacher, school leader, and administrator in both public charter and traditional district schools. She is the first Black woman to serve as superintendent in Indianapolis Public Schools. Dr. Johnson is a servant leader who strives to ensure every student is known, seen, loved, and learning.
A native of Evansville, Indiana, Johnson comes from a family of educators, including her mother, who recently retired from serving as an elementary school principal; her grandfather, who was one of few African-American administrators in the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation in the 1970s; and her grandmother, who worked as a high school classroom assistant. Growing up spending a lot of time in her mother’s middle school classroom, Dr. Johnson began her career in middle school as well, teaching 6th grade Science and Social Studies.
Dr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and African-American Studies from Agnes Scott College; a Master of Social Work in Children and Youth and Community Organizing from the University of Michigan; a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Secondary Education and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership, both from Oakland City University.
Dr. Johnson believes deeply in service not only to the students and families of IPS but also to the broader Indianapolis community. She demonstrates this belief through her membership on several local organizational boards including the Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI) Board of Advisors, and the Board of Trustees for Ivy Tech Community College-Indianapolis Campus, and Indianapolis 500 Festival Board. She is a member of the Aspen Superintendents Network as well as a board member of Chiefs For Change, a national advocacy organization of state and district education leaders, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of Great City Schools, and an advisory board member at Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. Dr. Johnson is privileged to also be an active member of The Links, Incorporated and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Dr. Johnson and her husband, Andre, are the proud parents of an adult daughter, Deja; Frederick, a college sophomore; and two school-aged daughters, Naomi and Grace, who are IPS students.
Appearance Request
Individuals that would like the Superintendent to make an appearance at one of your events must submit a request through the linked Superintendent Request Form below.
The form is not intended for complaints or requests for assistance from the superintendent. An official response is not guaranteed if topics of this nature are submitted using the form.
Our Superintendent in the Community
Great Things Happening at IPS
State of the District
Topics include the amazing successes by staff and students, and the exciting academic offerings being provided through our Rebuilding Stronger plan starting with the 2024-25 school year. You can also review the recording of the 2023 State of the District (SOTD) speech.