Long Island Public Schools are among the best in the country.  With sky high school taxes supporting them, why would any parent write an additional check for private school?

While the vast majority of families still take advantage of the superior local public education system, applications and enrollment continue to increase steadily across the area, prompted by a variety of reasons. At Friends Academy in Locust Valley, applications were up 20 percent for the whole school over the previous year, and the enrollment is the highest in its 136-year history.  Among the 10 local Catholic High Schools combined, the total 2010-11 enrollment was almost 13,000, up 19 percent over the last 15 years. 

Private high school is often the continuation of a choice made years ago: for instance a child moving from a parish run parochial grammar school to a Catholic high school or moving up from a private elementary school that starts in kindergarten and continues through twelfth grade.  But some families who have chosen public education for nine years opt out of the system for high school. 
“Most of our parents have great things to say about their public school districts when they make the move here,” says Elisabeth Mooney, formerly admissions director and now director of college counseling at Portledge School in Locust Valley.  “But they’re looking for a small community with a strictly college prepatory curriculum and teachers who know all the children.  And where you don’t necessarily have to be a jock, and it’s great to be smart.”

Steven Cheeseman, Ph.D., associate superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, says that Catholic high schools continue to see a slight increase in enrollment each year.  “People are making financial sacrifices to send their children to Catholic high school because they perceive them as offering a value-based education, with discipline and behavior codes,” he says.

The Individual Child

But what’s right for one child isn’t necessarily right for another.  Even within families, different decisions are sometimes made for each child regarding public and private schools.
Irene Barricelli and her husband, Lou, were certain that the small, all-girls’ atmosphere of Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead was the right choice for Mary Ann, the oldest of their four children.
“It allowed Mary Ann to come out of her shell and blossom into an amazing, confident young woman,” says Irene Barricelli of Valley Stream.  “She went to public school through eighth grade, but we just didn’t feel she was living up to her potential.  She needed something different.”
But when their second child, Gina, was ready for high school, they never even considered moving her from Valley Stream North High School.  “Gina was very athletic and musical.  We felt public school offered more opportunities for her in terms of pursuing her interests,” Barricelli says. The same decision was made for their two youngest children, Joseph and Alyssa, both of whom excel in music.

Finding the Right Match

Choices for private high school are generally between independent, non-sectarian schools and schools with religious affiliations—Roman Catholic, Jewish and Christian.  Although each school welcomes children of all faiths, the choice should match the family’s values. 
“We have a very clear educational philosophy and present that to families.  Most schools present their mission clearly,” says Chris Bleecker, admissions director at The Waldorf School of Garden City.  “So parents have to really listen carefully and look at what the approach is and ask themselves, ‘Does this match our family values?’”
The Catholic high schools on Long Island all offer a faith-based education with expectations in terms of behavior and dress.  “But within the schools, we have a broad range of options, from very large to very small and from co-ed to single sex schools.  The choice very much depends on the individual student,” says Dr. Cheeseman.

Diversity

A private or religious school by its very definition might seem to suggest elite or similar minded.  But families sometimes seek private education for the economic, geographic and racial diversity it offers.  Some public schools are located in areas that are very homogeneous, while the private schools tend to enroll at least some of the student population from more heterogeneous backgrounds.
“Our school district was so small that the children never got a chance to meet different people,” says Greta McLaughlin of Huntington, whose daughter, Kylie, moved from public middle school in Harborfields School District to St. Anthony’s high school, from which she graduated in May.  “We sought Catholic high school primarily because there’s a set of rules and consequences for everyone, and a level of respect that’s part of the system.  At the same time, we felt that the large student body with a multicultural balance would help prepare Kylie for the real word.”

Total student population can also be a factor.  Some seek small, intimate private schools as an antidote to large public systems, while others have public school districts so small that they have just one elementary, one middle and one high school and are looking for something bigger.  While most of the independent schools are small—with graduating classes as little as 40 students —some of the Catholic schools are very large, co-ed schools.  St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington, the largest of the Catholic schools, had a 2011 graduating class of more than 500.

Tuition Costs

There’s no doubt that any private education is a significant financial commitment.  The average Catholic high school tuition is$8,200 a year; the  annual tuition for an independent private high school like Portledge or Friends Academy is over $25,000.  “We have need-based financial aid, but it’s still a big financial sacrifice, no matter who you are,” says Mooney.
But many families feel the benefits outweigh the costs.  “We felt we couldn’t put a dollar value on Kylie’s education and the environment she would be in,” says McLaughlin.  “Yes, we spent money that could have been saved for college, but it’s so important that she have a positive high school experience.”

Making the Change

Of course, just because you make the choice to send your child to a private high school, doesn’t mean they’ll agree.  When Lou and Irene Barricelli made the decision to switch their daughter from public to private school, Mary Ann wanted no part of it.  “She fought it tooth and nail,” says her mother.  “But we told her to give it until December of her freshman year.  By January, she loved it.”
Although her parent’s resolve worked out well for Mary Ann, some experts say the decision should at least include the child.  “I always ask the kids ‘who’s initiating this?’” says Mooney.  “They have to want to be here or it’s a waste of time and money.  It’s a unique individual that wants to jump and make the change at this point in life.  The student has to want this for themselves.  If they aren’t motivated, don’t bother.”

Julie Vecchione DeSimone lives in Centerport.  Her daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from St. Anthony’s High School and her son, Chris, graduated from Harborfields High School.