Dr. McKibben's Studies

Dr. Jerome McKibben, Senior Demographer of McKibben Demographics, has a Ph.D. in Demography from Bowling Green State University, a MA in Sociology from Syracuse University, and a BA in Sociology and History from the State University of New York. He has contributed an impressively wide array of publications and reports in the field, and has gone on to present papers at various professional conferences. 

In addition to working with HHSC, McKibben Demographics has worked with many other districts spanning several states. In Indiana, they've worked alongside Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, Plymouth Community School Corporation, Carmel Clay Schools, South Bend Community School Corporation, and Valparaiso Community Schools. You can read more about these projects.

McKibben Demographics specializes in:

• Small area population projections and estimates
• School district demography
• Enrollment projections
• Boundary modifications and redistricting
• Demographic profiles
• Environmental scans

Dr. McKibben worked with HHSC again in 2024 to determine new population and enrollment trends. This Indiana Enrollment Trends document provides an interesting look at current enrollment trends in the state, and how the availability of online programs has led schools to be more proactive and aggressive in their efforts to bring in out-of-district students. The study indicates notes that "all district lose students to charters and private schools." 

Additionally, Dr. McKibben writes, "The total number of students in the state declined by 83,283 (7.8%) from 2017 to 2023. The percentage of students attending school outside of their residential school district increased from 12.6% in 2017 to 20.8% in 2023."

Dr. McKibben's 2024 study offers real-world predictions based on the data collected. According to the study, it appears that the data suggests that enrollment will continue to decline steadily until 2028-2030; after that, we should start seeing some growth.

Dr. McKibben conducted a population for HHSC in 2022. This fascinating study takes into account forecast predictions as well as census data to make reasonable deductions about the future of Hamilton County, IN. This helps HHSC get an idea of what future enrollment could look like.

You can read more about his findings in this document.