Drop in Applications Tests D.C. Area Private Schools

A shrinking pool of younger students, a souring economy and rising tuition -- approaching $30,000 at several schools -- have resulted in a drop in applications at some Washington area private schools.

Several schools, including Edmund Burke in the District, Burgundy Farms Country Day in Alexandria and Green Acres in Rockville, are accepting applications past their deadlines. Others are rethinking the way they do business: Holton-Arms in Bethesda, for instance, is shifting resources to upper grades as the number of elementary school-age students in the region declines.

And as fears of a recession spread, other schools say they are slowing down tuition increases and looking for other ways to raise money.

"Everybody is looking at how to make things easier for their families," said Paula Carreiro, head of the Beauvoir School in the District. "It's a balancing act. Some schools are cutting programs, some are looking at class size and we are all looking for ways to generate revenue."

Some schools were reluctant to provide details about enrollment for the next school year. But Ron Goldblatt, executive director of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, a nonprofit organization of 120 private schools across Maryland and the District, said about one-third of his group's members are seeing a "modest decline" in enrollment.

He said the last time such a dip occurred was almost 20 years ago.

One factor is purely demographic. Data provided by the National Association of Independent Schools, taken from U.S. Census figures, show that in key parts of the Washington area, the population of children ages 5 to 9 is declining, leaving fewer students for public and private schools.

In the District, the number of children 5 to 9 declined 13.4 percent between 2000 and 2007, from 35,385 to 30,633, and is projected to drop further between 2007 and 2012. In Montgomery County, a 3.5 percent decrease is forecast between 2007 and 2012; a 5 percent drop is projected for the same period in Fairfax County.

The economy also is playing a role. School officials say more parents are complaining about the price of a private school education, and more are seeking financial aid at a time when the cost of kindergarten -- $26,790 at Sidwell Friends School in the District, for example -- can be higher than the yearly $20,805 out-of-state tuition at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Or as the head of the national association said: Tuition may have reached the "breaking point."

"For many schools, we think we are there," said Patrick F. Bassett, president of the national group, a nonprofit organization of about 1,300 schools and associations, representing more than a half-million students.

At Sidwell Friends and Georgetown Day schools in the District, and at McLean School in Potomac, tuition will be $29,000 to $30,000 for 2008-09. Parents are asked to contribute more during the school year; tuition on average covers 84 percent of the cost of educating a student.