Harford Friends School planned to add first grade this academic year.
School officials were looking for four to six students to make up the inaugural class but didn't meet their goal, said Jonathan Huxtable, head of the school.
"Only two parents enrolled their children," said Huxtable, who started the school in 2005 in Darlington. "We kind of knew with the economy being so bad, it would be tough. We postponed the addition of first grade until next year."
Despite the low turnout for first grade, the school's middle school program is bucking national trends with increased enrollment, Huxtable said.
However, other private schools in the county haven't been so fortunate. With high gas prices, a growing number of home foreclosures and higher unemployment rates, families are opting to send their children to free public schools.
John Carroll School, the largest private high school in the county, opened its doors to 840 students this year, down from 869 last year, said Paul Barker, who is in his eighth year as principal at the Roman Catholic school.
"We made our enrollment goal this year," Barker said. "But we have a capacity for up to 900 students. It would have been nice to have 850 students. We have no fat on our budget at all. We'll have to be really tight with spending this year."
To help meet budget needs, the school raised tuition from $11,450 to $12,350 for the 2008-2009 school year, Barker said. However, need-based financial aid awards are offered to help parents cover the costs of tuition, he said.
On average, about one-third of the students at John Carroll receive financial aid. But for some families, the financial aid is not nearly enough.
Barker attributed the decreasing enrollment to the decline in the number of middle school students in the county and the ailing economy.
"It's no secret that the economy is hurting private schools," he said. "But we can't predict the prolonged effect of the poor economy on our school's enrollment. And so far, the BRAC realignment [the nationwide military base reorganization] has not had a great influence on enrollment. But we've been told that things will pick up in two years."
However, some county public schools have reported an influx of children in their schools resulting from BRAC.
Patterson Mill Middle/High School is a prime example. It has more than 130 new students enrolled this year, 36 of them related to the military realignment, said Principal Wayne Thibeault.
