Somebody mentioned in the Beth Haven FB thread that they are only expecting half as many students as were enrolled in 2008-09.

That would seem to be in line with enrollment for the past few years.

 

Yup, it is very close. Give or take a few. I do know that they'd like for it to be a little higher...

I believe Brossart has been down for a while.

Jim, Bluegrass Christian Academy in Bardstown has enrollment for next year already up 20%. Crocus Academy, the preschool, has added a teacher, enrollment up 30%, and also is opening a satellite campus in E-Town.

 

I think its more about the specific product than the genre of product.

I assume this mildly anti-Catholic comment is in preparation for July's Great Schism debates.

 

I'll never send my kids to public school, FWIW.

Note that my opinion on fraternities is going to be slightly different than yours, but note that I do respect the bond that you share with your brothers as I will explain below.

 

I find fraternities to be excessive and unnecessary. The bond should be school-wide not specifically oriented to small groups that identify themselves with Greek letters. I find them to be little more than social clubs that just happen to be affiliated with a school. Yes I know you do service work and so on, but so do many social clubs. I suspect though that the closest that many people who did not come through the same path as I did to understanding the Catholic school tradition and "fraternity" if you will would be those who were active in fraternities.

 

I think our opinions will dramatically differ though. Trinity and St. X and most of the Catholic schools here in Louisville are going to be much different than 99% of the public schools you will encounter. We are bound by more than just a common education, we come from similar walks of life and a common faith. The Catholic school subculture in Louisville, if you will, is hard for someone who did not come from a community like it to understand.

 

My family has never sent any child to a school other than a Catholic school and I have every intention of continuing that when my time comes.

 

In the end, I suspect my views on fraternities are colored by the fact that being a Shamrock at heart for the rest of my life meant that I never saw the purpose in a fraternity for me. Others, who may not have that same experience by the time they are in college probably would find it with a fraternity.

 

You've hit the nail on the head. I couldn't have said it any better myself.

 

I don't think it's the private, Catholic school education though. Instead, I think it's the all-male environment. As you stated, the large majority of kids come from the same walks of life; however, they're also given the opportunity to grow as young men in a comfortable environment without the added pressure of the opposite sex.

 

Also, the majority of teachers are men. I think that's an important aspect in building school spirit & a comfortable atmosphere that is often times overlooked. It is much easier for young men to relate to & respect a male teacher.

 

Finally, these schools seem to rally around their sports teams. That allows a lot of students to hang out together in a fun, friendly & (most of the time) safe environment.

 

As a person who was sent through 12 years of private school, and sent both of her kids through 13 each (not counting the college my son is in), I consider any and all monies that were spent as an investment in me by my parents, and by me in my children. My parents really couldn't afford it, I couldn't really afford it. We made choices that we felt were important and suited our families. None of us have ever regretted it, and consider it the wisest investments we've made. I don't mind that other people have their choice, but I'm not in agreement that the money "saved" is actually any better use for those sums, than the "investment returns" of said sums.

 

:thumb: Great post, RM.

In line with what Rockmom wrote, most people will sacrifice whatever it takes to send their kids to private school, especially Catholic school. I read that some people even work off tuition by working at the school in NKY. I think it is wonderful that people will sacrifice for their children.

Guys, we've had a lot of flowery talk about what people are willing to sacrifice to pay for their childrens' private school education, but little about what I asked in the original question. This thread is not to debate the merits of a private school education.

 

I'll ask again: Are private schools experiencing a downtick in enrollment for the fall?

I grew up in NKY, but not in the private school system.

 

I can tell you that most of the Cov. Cath boys I knew/know, grew up and maintained strong bonds with their classmates. This follows through into social and business aspects of adult life. I can understand what private school parents are saying. I don't see the same sisterhood and adult networking in the girls from Notre Dame. Not sure why.

 

However, if I had it to do all over, I would still send my kids to Beechwood!:banana:

I think like anything else the economy is causing people to tighten the belts and this is just another area that this can take place.........

Guys, we've had a lot of flowery talk about what people are willing to sacrifice to pay for their childrens' private school education, but little about what I asked in the original question. This thread is not to debate the merits of a private school education.

 

I'll ask again: Are private schools experiencing a downtick in enrollment for the fall?

 

I can't speak for all private schools, but I can tell you that Catholic parish schools have experienced declining enrollments over the last several years. The declining number of priests, brothers and sisters teaching in these schools has made teacher salaries an increasingly massive budget problem. It has, more than anything else, contributed to the swift rise in tuition across the board for the last 20 years. While Catholic schools experienced a massive bump in Louisville following the institution of busing (yeah, not one of our prouder moments, but it's good to have Catholic kids back in Catholic schools), the financial strain has only increased as tutition has gone continuously up and the spending power of the dollar has dropped. I would guess that the recent financial crisis will make that downturn even more evident when the school term comes around in August.

I assume this mildly anti-Catholic comment is in preparation for July's Great Schism debates.

 

I'll never send my kids to public school, FWIW.

 

I didn't even think about anything Catholic or otherwise. I identified two schools in Bardstown Jim was familiar with. By "genre" I referred to public vs. private, not Catholic vs. other. For the record.

Jim, Bluegrass Christian Academy in Bardstown has enrollment for next year already up 20%. Crocus Academy, the preschool, has added a teacher, enrollment up 30%, and also is opening a satellite campus in E-Town.

 

I think its more about the specific product than the genre of product.

 

I didn't even think about anything Catholic or otherwise. I identified two schools in Bardstown Jim was familiar with. By "genre" I referred to public vs. private, not Catholic vs. other. For the record.

 

To be honest with you, I'm not familiar with either place. I couldn't even tell you where they're located. I had no idea there was a Christian (non-parochial) school in B'town. Guess I don't get out as much as I'd like to think.

I didn't even think about anything Catholic or otherwise. I identified two schools in Bardstown Jim was familiar with. By "genre" I referred to public vs. private, not Catholic vs. other. For the record.

 

Boring! :irked:

Guys, we've had a lot of flowery talk about what people are willing to sacrifice to pay for their childrens' private school education, but little about what I asked in the original question. This thread is not to debate the merits of a private school education.

 

I'll ask again: Are private schools experiencing a downtick in enrollment for the fall?

 

Ooops! Sorry! :lol:

Schue I checked with someone VERY much in the know on this for Louisville.

Overall Louisville Catholic Schools enrollment is not down. Administrations have been cut back and schools have been combined. However there has not been any significant decline in any enrollment. I was told that SHA has gone down a little but Mercy and Assumption are getting those students.