It is that time of year when parents will be touring schools and beginning the long process of choosing the right fit for their child. As you probably know, if your child will be attending Kindergarten next Fall, you will be applying soon if you have not already.
And, if your child will be entering into Kindergarten the following year (in 2010), you need to be beginning the search for the right school now. We know it seems early, but we strongly recommend you get started. You would be surprised by how many choices there are and how early you need to start gathering information.
Most schools recommend that you attend their open houses in the Spring of 2009 if your child will be attending school in the Fall of 2010. So, if that is the case for you, now is the time to at least become familiar with your choices and narrow down your list to those schools you will want to visit in the Spring.
In case you are considering private schools, we are going to help you get started. Below is a list of the most popular private schools in the area and the basic facts about each. Later on, we will post more detailed information on individual schools. Happy hunting!
Friends (Quaker) Schools:
Germantown Friends School
Kindergarten - 12, co-ed
Enrollment: 895
Kindergarten Tuition: $15,060
Greene Street Friends School
Prekindergarten - 8, co-ed
Enrollment: 196
Plymouth Meeting Friends School
Pre-Kindergarten - 6, co-ed
Enrollment: 171
William Penn Charter School
Pre-Kindergarten -12, co-ed
Enrollment: 906
Catholic:
Norwood Fontbonne Academy
(includes a Montessori program)
Pre-kindergarten - 8, co-ed
Enrollment: 539
Kindergarten Tuition: $9,525
Our Mother of Consolation
Pre-kindergarten - 8, co-ed
St. Martin de Porres Interparochial School
Independent:
Chestnut Hill Academy
Pre-kindergarten - 12, all boys school
Enrollment: 570
Kindergarten Tuition: $15,685
The Miquon School
Pre-kindergarten - 6, co-ed, Progressive
Enrollment: 152
Kindergarten Tuition: $13,230
Oak Lane Day School
Pre-kindergarten - 6, co-ed
Enrollment: 70
Kindergarten Tuition: $13,785
Project Learn
Kindergarten - 8, co-ed, cooperative
Enrollment: 100
Kindergarten Tuition: $9,700
Springside School
Pre-kindergarten - 12, all girls school
Enrollment: 670
Kindergarten Tuition: $17,200
The Waldorf School of Philadelphia
Pre-kindergarten - 8, co-ed, Waldorf
Enrollment: 170
Kindergarten Tuition: $9,715
4 comments:
It's a little odd to call Project Learn "Independent" and Miquon "Progressive." All of the non-religious schools are considered "Independent" including Miquon; both Miquon and Project Learn identify strongly with the Progressive education movement.
Thank you for your comment, DCL. We did realize that all the non-religious schools are technically independent, but wanted to be more specific in our groupings. I understand what you mean by saying the Project Learn in progressive, but it does not call itself so.
What we mean by "progressive" is that the curriculum at Miquon is based on a philosophy called Progressivism, attributed in part to the well-known educator, John Dewey. You can visit this page on Miquon's site to learn more about Progressivism: http://www.miquon.org/site_index.html
thanks for visiting,
Charline
OMG, those prices are steep. That's college tuition for kindergarten. Does the tuition include room, board, toys, wardrobe, sporting equipment and free admission to all area museums, play spaces and arboretums? Does it include a Mercedes when my kids turn 16?
The Miquon school looks beautiful. It's a lovely, quiet spot in the woods. But I'd have to sell one of my children on the black market to afford it. And Springside? It's a good thing I have two boys, though CHA doesn't look much more reasonable. Public school, here we come.
Hi girlfriend. I enjoyed your comment. It is so true. These schools are very expensive.
For anyone who is interested in them, though, I just wanted to point out that they do provide financial aid and I have met several people who are getting 50% of tuition paid. I know that is still expensive, though.
Yes, there are some great public and charter schools around. Julia will be posting on several of those in the coming weeks, so look for them!
thanks,
Charline
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