Private schools dodge enrollment slide

Region

MORE ON 2010 ENROLLMENT NUMBERS

October 1, 2010

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE lvanhulle@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Fri Oct 01, 2010, 07:32 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — A pattern of recession-related enrollment slides at local public schools largely has escaped the region's private and parochial schools.

But administrators at several tuition-based sites said their buildings haven't been immune from the effects of the economic downturn in Michigan, and point to an increase in requests for financial assistance.

Among private schools, enrollment is up this year at Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools, Traverse City Christian Schools and The Children's House Montessori school.

The upward trends indicate that private education tuition — which can cost thousands of dollars for one child alone — may not have been one of the first expenses cut during the recession.

"When families who are here lose jobs, that becomes an extra hardship," said Tony Clymer, administrator of Traverse City Christian Schools. "Our job here, though, is to make sure as much as possible we don't make finances be the primary driver."

Traverse City Christian, which includes separate elementary and secondary schools, enrolls 196 students this year. The figure is four more than last year.

Overall enrollment ticked slightly upward with gains at the elementary level, as middle and high school student counts dropped, Clymer said.

The four-school GTACS system enrolls 986 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, up from 963 last year.

Administrators received 5 percent more requests for financial aid this year than in 2009-10, with total dollars awarded up 2 percent, said Deb Quinlan, the district's business manager.

Lake Leelanau St. Mary School lost one student, bringing K-12 enrollment to 201, but Principal Mark Gaubatz said three new families are considering transferring their children.

"Our parents have really had to tighten up their family belts a bit more to continue," Gaubatz said. "They're actually placing a greater emphasis, at least in our view, that it's more important now than ever."

More students qualify for financial help, where tuition for one child ranges from $3,486 for a parishioner to $6,420 for a non-parishioner.

Tuition increases between 2 percent and 3 percent annually, Gaubatz said.

About a quarter of families receive some sort of tuition assistance at The Children's House in Garfield Township. The private Montessori school offers financial aid or what staff call co-op services, where families trade services for tuition discounts.

The total dollar amount awarded in aid climbed 35 percent this year, said Missy Russell, director of advancement.

"I've seen the commitment from families wanting to stay increasing, and people working really hard to figure out how to do it," she said.

In all, 218 students are enrolled in infant programs through elementary school, up from 207 last year. All programs are full except preschool, Russell said.

Early childhood programs have been particularly vulnerable at The Pathfinder School, a private school in Leelanau County that serves preschool through eighth grade.

The school enrolls 116 total students this year, down from 132 last year, said Karl Sikkenga, head of school. Ten of those students were in early childhood programs.

That's likely economic: Preschool tuition ranges from $2,098 for two morning sessions a week to $9,857 for five full days.

Tuition rose 5 percent this year after being frozen for three years. The school is offering a sibling tuition discount for the second year.

"People have to pay for preschool and they don't have to send their kids to preschool," Sikkenga said. "This is speculative, but I think that people are realizing that they can't swing that in these times."