HANCOCK COUNTY — While Hancock County is reportedly the fastest-growing county in the state, that growth is slow but steady in most of the county’s public school districts.
Mt. Vernon Community School Corp., situated in the fast-growing northwest corner of the county, has seen the highest growth in recent years — growing by nearly 700 students since 2018.
In the current school year, enrollment went up by 154 students — or 3.2% — increasing from 4,668 in 2023 to 4,822 in 2024.
Enrollment at New Palestine Community Schools went up by just 20 students during that same period, growing from 3,816 students in the fall of 2023 to 3,836 in the fall of 2024.
At Eastern Hancock, the county’s most rural school district, enrollment increased by 10 students — from 1,191 registered in the fall of 2023 to 1,201 in the fall of 2024.
In contrast, Greenfield-Central schools saw enrollment decrease by 12 students between 2023 and 2024 — dropping from 4,220 to 4,208 students enrolled.
Greenfield-Central’s superintendent, Harold Olin, said the school board hired a professional demographer in the spring of 2024 to conduct a study, which predicted that school enrollment would remain relatively “flat” or consistent for the next 10 years.
Slow and steady
Meanwhile, “slow and steady” growth is expected to continue at the New Palestine schools, according to the district’s director of communications and community outreach, Craig Smith.
“Over the next five years, the district anticipates continued gradual growth, though predicting long-term trends can be challenging,” said Smith, adding that the school district “remains committed to keeping stakeholders informed should any shifts occur.”
Eastern Hancock’s superintendent, George Philhower, anticipates stable overall enrollment in his school district over the next five years, with continued reliance on school choice to bring in outside students as in-district enrollment is expected to gradually decline.
Philhower said the district’s enrollment has steadily increased since the decline it experienced during the COVID outbreak, but in-district enrollment has been gradually declining since at least 2017 due to demographic shifts.
“The district’s limited infrastructure for large-scale residential development means significant in-district growth is unlikely in the near future,” he said.
“At the same time, our biggest area of growth has come from families choosing to transfer into Eastern Hancock from outside the district. Currently, just under 40% of our students are transfer students, and in kindergarten and first grade, that number is closer to 50%,” Philhower said.
“Looking ahead, we anticipate reaching enrollment capacity in certain grade levels within the next five years. When that happens, we will no longer be able to accept transfer students in those grade levels, as priority must go to in-district students. This will impact our ability to continue growing through school choice,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon is bracing for bountiful growth, with a projected enrollment of 5,003 students in Grades K-12 for the 2025-26 school year.
“Each year, our student population increases by approximately 100-150 students, give or take, in a steady and manageable manner,” said Maria Bond, director of community relations for the school system.
“Our most recent demographic report, conducted in 2023, projects a steady and manageable enrollment growth of approximately 150 students per year through 2031,” she said.
Anticipating the growth, school officials started planning years ago to eventually add an intermediate school and move from a three-tier back to a four-tier system.
The four-tier concept kicks off at the start of the 2025-26 school year, as Fortville Elementary School students move into a new building that has been constructed on the main campus, just north of the administrative center.
Fifth-graders now assigned to the elementary schools and sixth-graders now assigned to the middle school will filter into the intermediate school, making more room for additional students at both the elementary and middle schools.
Elementary schools will serve students in grades K-4, while the middle school will serve Grades 7-8 and the high school will continue to serve Grades 9-12.
“As we implement this transition, it will create additional capacity in all three elementary schools and our middle school. We are grateful to the 300-plus Community Champions from 2019 who shared their insights and helped shape Mt. Vernon’s plans for managing growth,” said Bond.
“As Mt. Vernon continues to grow, we want to reassure the community that maintaining small class sizes remains a top priority,” she added. “Our (school board) has consistently upheld this commitment, recognizing it as a key benefit valued by parents. This priority will continue as we expand.”
Bond said school leaders are also excited to announce the introduction of a new childcare program in the fall of 2025 for children ages birth to 3 years old, exclusively for children of Mt. Vernon staff members.
This facility will be located in the school administration building, where the district’s preschool classrooms are being renovated to expand the preschool and accommodate the new childcare program.
This expansion comes on the heels of the school district unveiling its new transportation center in the spring of 2024.
“We are proud to have completed these capital projects without increasing the taxes,” said Bond, who said the corporation does not foresee a need for any additional learning spaces in the near future.
Westward bound
At the Greenfield-Central schools, future growth is focused on a 94-acre parcel of ground just west of the high school, where a new 30-space parking lot and tennis courts will be constructed this fall.
The current tennis courts are expected to be repurposed into additional parking starting next spring.
Olin said the school system’s eight school buildings continue to serve it well, in addition to a ninth building used for the district’s preschool and alternative high school program, The Academy.
“We are investigating ways to be more efficient with our use of facilities …(so) we do not anticipate adding any new schools in the next 10 years. We will, however, consider some remodeling options to reduce our operational footprint to gain efficiency,” the superintendent said.
“We have a growing demand for preschool services in our community, and we believe we have the classroom space to accommodate this need. It will likely require us to shuffle the deck chairs a bit. We will have more information for our community on this topic before the end of the school year,” Olin said.
At Eastern Hancock, Philhower said he doesn’t anticipate the need to add any buildings to the district’s existing three schools — an elementary, middle and high school, all on one campus.
“While we do not anticipate adding a new school building, we would likely only add additional classrooms if in-district enrollment increased,” he said. “We are excited to be a school of choice for so many families in our region, and look forward to continuing to serve our students and community.”
Smith said the New Palestine school corporation currently operates six schools and has proactively purchased property to accommodate potential future growth, yet there are no immediate plans for additional buildings.
Smith said the district has recently invested in infrastructure, transportation and facilities, ensuring that the district continues to meet the needs of its students and staff.
“Looking ahead, (New Palestine schools) will continue evaluating enrollment trends and facility needs while maintaining a focus on excellence in education,” he said.