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Elyse Ridder previously attended Fredericksburg Academy; she's at Ni River Middle now.
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Madison Steele (left) talks with Elyse Ridder before French class. Elyse Ridder is attending public school this year. She gets help from math teacher Sandy Hughes. |
Shellie Ridder is willing to go into debt to educate her four children.
But this year, she took her 12-year-old daughter, Elyse, out of private school and enrolled her in Spotsylvania County's Ni River Middle.
Money wasn't the only reason, but it did influence the family's decision, Ridder said. Still, she said she wouldn't have sent her child to public school if she thought it would hurt her education.
"We've reached the point where we know what works for our children," Ridder said. "We know what we want. I've also become a little less willing to compromise on certain matters, and education is one of them."
Several local families, however, put their children in public school only because they couldn't afford the rising cost of a private education, say officials from area private schools. It's a nationwide trend as the country faces the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
"There is tremendous anxiety, both about admissions numbers and because our budget is driven by tuition income," said Penny Work, headmaster at Grymes Memorial School in Orange County.
This year, the independent school has 168 students, seven fewer than last year. About half of the students who left did so for financial reasons, Work said.
Fredericksburg Christian Schools' enrollment dropped from 1,200 last year to 1,142, said Superintendent Rick Yost. The school won't increase tuition next year, he said.
"When something like this hits, if they're really committed to a Christian education, we've got to help them all we can," he said.
He said he's confident the school will grow again.
Fredericksburg Academy's enrollment dropped 8 percent, or 44 students. Most left because of money, said Headmaster Robert Graves.
The school also saw a decline in new applicants last year, he said.
"People who haven't been used to spending money on education aren't going to take that leap necessarily as easy as they might have a year or so ago," he said. "I think that's going to continue for some time."
Surprisingly, he said, applications for the next academic year are up. That could be because of the financial difficulties facing public schools.
"People who can afford to do it are waiting to see what happens to the public schools and are perhaps looking our way again," Graves said.
The school will be awarding a Founders Merit Scholarship for the first time next year. Recipients will pay half tuition for all four years of high school.
"This has been in the works for a couple of years," Graves said. "It happens to be good timing."
Myra McGovern, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Independent Schools, said that, historically, the organization's member schools haven't been impacted by economic downturns.
"Even though public schools are available, many independent school families think of tuition payments as a necessity," she said. "They want their children to have consistency and a high-quality education."
Holy Cross Academy in Stafford County has 545 students, 24 fewer than last year. Sister Susan Louise Eder, principal of Holy Cross, said the school's tuition is $4,425, 4.7 percent more than last year.
"Our focus really is on tuition assistance and looking into programs that will help to keep the tuition increases down," she said.
Carmel Christian Academy in Caroline County, which opened a new facility last year, increased enrollment by 11 students, said President Janice Carneal.
The school's new 45,000-square-foot facility can fit up to 250 students; the old building could accommodate only 100.
Ridder, whose daughter went from Fredericksburg Academy to Ni River Middle, said the transition has been smooth. In fact, a teacher even called to tell her that Elyse had missed a scheduled meeting for extra help.
"They have 100 kids, and they remember that my daughter didn't show up," she said. "That's huge."
--Staff reporter Karen Bolipata contributed to this story.
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
Grymes Memorial School, Orange: $10,650 Fredericksburg Christian Schools: $6,491 for grades 1 through 5; $7,224 for grades 6 through 8; and $7,646 for grades 9 through 12 Fredericksburg Academy, Spotsylvania: $12,990 for pre-K through grade 5; $14,700 for grades 6 through 12 Holy Cross Academy, $4,425 Carmel Christian Academy, Caroline: $4,000 |
