Reversing the worrisome trend that began during the 2005-2006 school year and accelerated during the recent economic crisis, enrollment has increased this year, as the school added 88 new students from 61 new families.

Having budgeted for only 430 students, two fewer than last year, the administration was surprised as contracts began to roll in.

The school opened with 468 students compared to last year’s first-day enrollment of 444.
Now with 470 contracts (including two new high-school students who enrolled later) the school has added a member to the janitorial staff and assistants to the lower school.

Also, director of technology Tom Wroten is looking for a part-time assistant to aid with routine tech problems.

Due partly to the increase in enrollment, the Board of Trustees recently voted to restore teachers’ salaries to the level of two years ago—before budget problems forced a 5 percent cut.

“I was very worried coming into this school year, and I thought it was critical that we reverse the downward trend this year,” dean of students Daniel Neukom said. “Fortunately, that has happened.”

According to Lonna Bloedau co-director of admissions, interest in the school began to pick up at the end of last year. For example, her office saw an increase in tours, she said.

“We weren’t sure what to expect because of the drop in enrollment over the past few years,” headmaster Stephen Repsher said. “But we did see some encouraging signs in the spring that it was going up.”

Lower school had the greatest increase—29 more students. Grades two through six, in particular, are especially full.

Third grade has now reached its cap of 22 students per class and has a waitlist.

While enrollment is on the rise, the school has yet to top 500 students, its average over the past 10 years.

According to Bloedau, this is partially caused by the 20 percent drop of school-age children in the area, the poor economy and California having the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.

Enrollment in the San Juan Unified School District has dropped in the past ten years from around 52,000 to about 41,000 this year.

While the economy may have turned potential students away from the school, Neukom believes the recession and subsequent cut to public school funding have convinced some to make the switch to independent education.

“Lack of funding for public schools, facing larger class sizes and a less-enriched program in the public schools has drawn more people to Country Day,” Neukom said.

Bloedau agrees with Neukom about Country Day’s growing appeal.

“Parents are looking for a return to small class sizes and an enriched daily program that includes music, art, physical education, drama, computer science, plus amenities like our expanded library services, field trips and after school club,” Bloedau said.

“In the final accounting, we found that all categories of measurement were up from the previous year: we had more inquiries, more applications, more acceptances and more confirmed enrollments,” Bloedau said.

However, the enrollment of the high school has decreased by about 10 students, with an incoming freshman class of 30.

“When you develop a trough at a lower grade level year by year, that trough moves through (the school),” Repsher explained.

“Right now, that trough is moving through the high school and the seventh and eighth grades. Three years from now, the ninth grade will start to go back up again and it will replenish the high school.”

Despite the gain, some budget-cutting measures are still in place. First-grade teachers, who each had a full time assistant last year, now have only part-time assistants.

“We don’t have any help with prep—cleaning up, making copies, mounting and hanging art work, keeping track of who has done what, setting up new work stations while we assess reading during our breaks, etc.” first-grade teacher Sue Goodwin said.

“Our assistants are only with us during times when the students are in the room, so I’ve definitely put in a lot more hours this year so far.”