It’s a girl’s world, at least for girls in the class of 2014.  A gender gap of 45 more female students than male students exists in the freshman class. 

“It is a point of concern,” President Richard O’Hara said.

According to Principal Paul Barker, the main magnets that seem to draw male students away from JC are all-boys’ schools such as Loyola, Gilman, and Calvert Hall.  However, the school is confident that boys are guaranteed an experience that is able to rival anything an all-boys’ school would have to offer.

Also, local schools such as Bel Air High School and Patterson Mill have newer buildings, attracting more students to their campuses.

According to a survey of 146 males, over 80 percent of JC males reported that they play a sport.

“Statistically, you have a better chance at being on a sports team compared to larger schools such as Calvert Hall,” Barker said.

“That is something we really need to tout. We really need to play that up and say look, ‘If you come here you do have an opportunity to do stuff Patriots do. You have a chance to play a sport that you might not have elsewhere,” O’Hara said.

This was the case for senior Alassane Ouedraogo.  “My brother and I got recruited for basketball so we came here,” said Ouedraogo.  

The survey also showed that 50 percent of those surveyed had been accepted into JC’s all-male competitors.  “We asked a lot of different questions so that we could understand our market,” Director of enrollment and marketing Jesse Roberts said. 

According to O’Hara, there were three main reasons that survey participants say they chose JC: not “having a choice,” proximity, and a desire to have a co-education. The first was “the biggest,” O’Hara said.

For freshman Will Hopkins, JC was a convenient choice.  “My parents didn’t want to drive to Baltimore every day,” said Hopkins. 

“Co-education is really important because it means you have stronger and [more] equal social opportunities, and it promotes a stronger social atmosphere,” Roberts said.

According to Barker, there have only been four instances in which there were more male students than female students since the school’s opening in 1964.  The class of 2010 had 53 fewer males than females, which Barker calls one of the largest gaps in school history.

“We should also probably promote more heavily our co-education, because there are male students that do prefer the co-educational experience. But we haven’t done enough to hammer that home,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara has his own opinions as to why all male schools in Baltimore County attract such a large number. “In part, it’s legacy. There’s a bit of a pull from that standpoint. Also there’s some that prefer all male. There’s a different feeling that may be appealing to them,” O’Hara said.

“In some cases they may be drawn to facilities at those other schools. They’ve had the ability to make some significant facilities changes that we’re just now starting to do,” O’Hara said. “If you want to think about Calvert Hall, it’s like playing baseball on a major league park.”

“We are working to improve facilities and do a better job of telling our story,” Barker said

According to Barker, the new marketing program will involve a focus on individual students and their testimonies. It will promote positive outlooks on why co-education is a positive experience, as it models real world interaction. 

Kim can be reached for comment at [email protected]