Private schools by the numbers

While the national economy is still suffering from a recession, representatives from  independent schools in Kent and Salisbury said enrollment numbers are high for this school year.

At South Kent School, Director of Communications Mark Berghold said the school has 165 students enrolled, which is 10 more than last year and the largest student body in two decades.

Berghold said the school has students from 17 countries and 10 states.

Richard Brande, director of admissions for South Kent School, added that the school is very excited to start the new year.

“South Kent School’s vision has been embraced by many of our new families, who recognize its relevance in today’s multicultural and environmentally focused society,� Brande said. “We are extremely excited about both our new curricular initiatives and the depth of experience in our faculty.�

At Kent School, Chief Information Officer Adam Fischer said the school is totally full, at 560 students.

“I hope that indicates that things are going well for people out there,� Fischer said. “It seems to me that education is an important priority for their children. We are seeing that in their commitment to send their children to these private schools.�

Fischer added that the students are from 40 foreign countries and 40 states.

At Marvelwood School, Director of Admissions Katherine Almquist said the school has a total of 56 new students for a total of 165.

“Our retention is good and people love our product,� Almquist said. “In this economy, education is something caring parents sacrifice for.�

Almquist said this year’s student body is made up children from 12 different countries, but she did not have an exact count of how many states they come from.

In Salisbury, Communications Director Danielle Sinclair said the Salisbury School  welcomed 125 new students for a total of 305, with 25 states represented and 21 countries, including Kazakhstan and Vietnam.

And The Hotchkiss School has 598 students this academic year, 191 of them new.

Hotchkiss has students from 38 states and 34 countries, including Afghanistan, Ghana, Singapore, Colombia, Romania and Jamaica.

The Indian Mountain School  has enrolled 256 students, including 74 boarders and 182 day students. This year, there are 42 international students from seven countries.

Head of School Mark A. Devey said, “We are going strong and continue to add programs in an economy that has caused many schools to cut back services.â€� 

Patrick Sullivan contributed to this story.