Private schools, like public schools, are facing enrollment and financial pressures as the nation's birthrate falls and as public and private school choice options expand.
Whether public or private, schools need stable or growing student populations to remain financially healthy. Both models rely on funding fueled by enrollment — whether tuition in the case of private schools or government support in the case of public — to finance teacher salaries, instructional materials, extracurricular activities, and other elements that go into running a school.
As competition for students revs up due to the shrinking student population, both private and public schools are evaluating how they can stay fiscally healthy while enhancing instruction and other school experiences to attract and retain students.
"Every school, private and public, does have to manage their bottom line," said Debra Wilson, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, which has nearly 1,700 independent school members that educate nearly 632,000 students.
According to NAIS research released this spring, enrollment in independent schools has been stable over the past seven years. "Steady to me is actually a really good sign, given that we are living through the demographic cliff," Wilson said.
Below, we share four charts on enrollment and other trends drawn from the NAIS research.
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