Choosing Where to Learn: Private schools

The Summit Preparatory School is a newcomer to the local private school market, having opened its doors in fall 2005. After starting as a K-6 school with 47 students, the school now has 108 students and have added one grade each year. The Summit, located at 922 W. Republic Road inside Wesley United Methodist Church, could include education through ninth grade by fall.

“It’s an opportunity for families who want their students to be in an educational environment where there are high expectations and individualized instruction,” The Summit Director Josh Chastain said of the private school setting.

Tuition at The Summit ranges between $4,800 and $5,300 a year.

For some private schools, it’s the subject matter that sets them apart. At Grace Classical Academy, for example, there’s an emphasis on classic literature, and Latin training is available starting in the third grade.

Located at 2438 E. Cherry St., inside King’s Chapel Christian Center, Grace Classical Academy started in fall 2001 with 19 students. The K-12 school now boasts 170 students, and co-founder and Administrator Lonnie Vandiver said enrollment will be up again for fall 2007 based on the number of returning students and applications that have been received.

“Our school, in the lower grades especially, is very structured – not oppressive, but structured,” Vandiver said. “There are a lot of families that really like that and want that for their children.”

Joey Williams wanted that type of education for her children as well. She has one son, Josiah, in first grade at the academy and a daughter, Micah, who will start kindergarten in the fall.

“The private school approach that we took was that we wanted a Christian school,” she said. “On top of it being so focused on education and what they’re learning, it’s focused on character. When you walk through the halls of the school, you can sense there’s a difference – you see it in the kids.”

The faith factor

While public schools tend to shy away from discussing religion for legal reasons, private schools have no such worries. Not all private schools are based in religious education, but the majority in Springfield have a faith component.

Some, such as The Summit, are simply guided by certain principles and aren’t affiliated with a specific religious organization.

Others, such as Grace Classical, incorporate Christian teachings into all their subjects.

“(Education and faith) must be taught together, if you want to understand the world we live in,” said Curt Brannan, GCA’s chaplain and biblical studies teacher.

“We want to be intellectually rigorous, but we also maintain that it’s only possible to know because we believe.”

At Springfield Catholic Schools – four elementary schools and a high school that consolidated into a single district in 1977 – enrollment is open to Catholic and non-Catholic students.

Director of Schools Ann Meese said the Catholic schools’ enrollment has been steady at about 1,400 students since 2004. Not including 111 pre-kindergarten students, Springfield Catholic’s full-time enrollment for the fall 2006 semester was 1,278.

Faith is a large part of what draws people to Springfield Catholic and other religious private schools, but also important, Meese said, is having the choice to attend them.

“We have a community that is fortunate to have quality public schools, (but) it’s valuable to have options for parents,” she said. “People should be consumers of education for their children, and Springfield, for its size, is fortunate to have options.”

Tuition at Springfield Catholic ranges between $2,363 and $3,743 a year for Catholics. Tuition for non-Catholics is $3,450 to $5,412 a year.

Competition?

While part of the state’s public school funding formula is based on the number of students enrolled, Springfield Public Schools hasn’t been impacted much by growth in the private school sector, said Mark Maness, the district’s director of community development.

Maness cites the district’s steady enrollment for the last decade.

“We have to stay focused on one thing – creating the best learning environment for our students and the most challenging academic approach that we can through our system,” Maness said. “If we do that, the other things will take care of themselves. We don’t look at a private school or a school outside our system and say, ‘What are they doing and what should we change?’”

Public school options

That’s not to say the district isn’t aware that parents want more choices for their children.

Maness noted that school surveys show 20 percent to 25 percent of parents want more options in the public school setting.

The district’s International Baccalaureate program is now available for all grades, and long-range plans may include schools focused on fine arts, science or math.

“We want to make sure that programs are available based on what our customers are telling us,” Maness said.

The private schools in the city don’t like to think of themselves as competitors with SPS, either.

“I’d like to believe that we work in conjunction with the public schools in Springfield,” Meese said. “We’re a different animal. We’re a faith-based program … so we try to provide that academic excellence in a religious structure. It’s hard to say that we compete, because we’re not the same.”