With 259 total students registered on Sunday’s Open House, JC fell 59 short of last year’s total. However, Principal Paul Baker still classified the event as a success.
“We did a good job personalizing it, demonstrating the breadth of opportunities here. There was a good marriage of teachers, students, parents, and board members,” said Barker.
“Every department pulls out all the stops. They go beyond the call of duty to show and tell their academic department. Extra-curriculars do the same thing,” said Director of Admissions Kim Brueggemann.
Barker said the Academic Department presented “a persuasive case with families by showing that their sons and daughters have the opportunity to be challenged appropriately.”
The only issue came in the cafeteria, where a visiting family overheard a “mean girl conversation.” As Barker said, “It just shows we can’t let our guard down when we have guests in our house.”
Barker speculated that the number could be down because of “demographics.” Because the population in Harford County public middle schools is down 100 students this year and has decreased by 350 students over the past four years, Barker said that fewer students in attendance at Open House could be “partly reflective of the population dip. We might be on the downside of whatever spike there was. ”
However, he added that it is “a national trend of declining applications and inquiries” although “the Catholic school population is holding steady.”
The highest number of student inquiries at Open House was 409 in 2002. Since 2005, the number of students enrolled to shadow began to outstrip the number attending Open House. Prior to 2004, students had to go to Open House to sign up for an interview, causing many to sign up and then leave.
Barker also cited the struggling economy. “In tough economic times, it’s a matter of affordability,” he said.
Even though the economy is a constant concern for enrollment levels, the school cannot slash those levels. They will, however, “continue to be more attentive to where we spend our money,” said Barker. “It is inevitable that tuition will go up—the question is by how much.”
According to Barker, the problem for independent schools, especially non-religious schools, has arisen because the rate of tuition increased at a greater rate than inflation. Thus only higher income level families can afford the tuition.
The grade level of students coming to Open House has also changed. The turnout from 7th grade has increased since 2005, this year accounting for 35% of the registered students. This increase jumped 22% from four years ago.
This is a result of “how parents are approaching the high school search process,” said Barker. In addition, Barker suggested that many 8th graders do not come to Open House “because they’ve already seen it before.”
JC promotes Open House through the “combined efforts of the Admissions Office and the Director of Communications Sue Cathell,” said Brueggemann. The school uses the website, postcards to surrounding counties, regional high school fairs, and newspaper ads to further get the school in the public eye.
According to Brueggemann, Open House ends the promoting season. “We visit schools throughout the fall. Starting September 1, we visit every private and Catholic feeder school,” said Brueggemann.
Although JC had a television ad last year, and the possibility of advertising the school through alternative promotional methods has been explored, Brueggemann says the cost for television and radio ads can be exponential. “It all depends on the budget,” said Brueggemann.
Following Open House, according to Brueggemann, follow up letters are sent from the Admissions Office to all 8th grade families reminding them of deadlines for admissions requirements.
Barker said, “If somebody shows interest, we must make sure we get them to complete the admissions process.”
Although ways of promoting the school vary, certain values, at least in Barker’s eyes, should be stressed. In a word, “opportunities.” He added, “It’s an investment in a child’s future, a benefit on multiple levels. We offer solid academics, a supportive and safe place, and real world stuff – arts, sports, and extracurricular activities. We help students learn and acquire values and attain spiritual growth.”
In the future, Brueggemann mentioned the possibility of incorporating more alumni into promotions in order to show what the school can do to prepare students for the future.
Kate Froehlich can be reached for comment at [email protected].