BEDS Rankings for 23-24

[somecyguy]

One could wonder if there is a market for a non-religious private school in CR.

Back in the early 2000s when Montessori schools were all the rage, I'm a little surprised that some of those didn't expand to K-12.

But that is an interesting idea. Probably more likely in Coralville than CR though.

 

[cyfanatic]

Will be interesting to see if the vouchers change this. Xavier is not known for recruiting in the way that Dowling has been said to do the same in the DSM metro. But the allure of vouchers, plus perhaps a very small scholarship, could make attending Xavier free for top CR-area athletes if the school/coaches start pursuing that.

There is also the religious angle - not every family will prefer their child to go to a Catholic school where the students attend Mass during the school day every month, and they take religious courses every day - as well as the fact that Xavier is not necessarily a better school to attend than the top public schools in CR like Kennedy or Linn-Mar. Just compare the AP coursework offered at each; it's not very close. But the athletic part of it will probably be tempting at least for some sports because Xavier is very good at plenty of them.

Dowling, Xavier, etc. might also discriminate on the basis of religion if the vouchers drive a lot more families to try to attend their schools; they may give preference to Catholics if they get to the point where they have more interested students than capacity. That might also affect athletic recruiting.

Will the allure of more money from tuition be tempting to Xavier? They will have to balance that with the athletic desire to remain one enrollment level beneath the large schools so they won't have to compete with the bigger heavyweights for state titles.

 

[wxman1]

Wasn't that the Isaac Newton Academy? Or was that sort of generic Christian? I remember it as a thing but don't know much about it.

It's tough to do private schools where the public schools are decent to good. And though Jeff & Wash have their issues, they are ...okay. And Marion, LinnMar, Kennedy et al are pretty good.

Isaac Newton Christian Academy these days at least.

 

[Three4Cy]

Will be interesting to see if the vouchers change this. Xavier is not known for recruiting in the way that Dowling has been said to do the same in the DSM metro. But the allure of vouchers, plus perhaps a very small scholarship, could make attending Xavier free for top CR-area athletes if the school/coaches start pursuing that.

There is also the religious angle - not every family will prefer their child to go to a Catholic school where the students attend Mass during the school day every month, and they take religious courses every day - as well as the fact that Xavier is not necessarily a better school to attend than the top public schools in CR like Kennedy or Linn-Mar. Just compare the AP coursework offered at each; it's not very close. But the athletic part of it will probably be tempting at least for some sports because Xavier is very good at plenty of them.

Dowling, Xavier, etc. might also discriminate on the basis of religion if the vouchers drive a lot more families to try to attend their schools; they may give preference to Catholics if they get to the point where they have more interested students than capacity. That might also affect athletic recruiting.

It will all depend on if they are a parish or a non-parish family. If you are in the parish, tuition at Xavier is $7400; however, if you are a non-parish family and want to send your child to Xavier, the tuition is $11,730, so the $7600 from the state isn't going to cover your entire tuition.

 

[ISUTex]

Paton-Churdan graduated 12 kids this year. I believe they have some type of arrangement with Greene Co.

So why did they leave Jefferson Scranton? Wasn't it JSPC before it went to Greene CO.?

 

[ISUTex]

It will all depend on if they are a parish or a non-parish family. If you are in the parish, tuition at Xavier is $7400; however, if you are a non-parish family and want to send your child to Xavier, the tuition is $11,730, so the $7600 from the state isn't going to cover your entire tuition.

The privates can always raise tuition and cap enrollment as well.

 

[4cy16]

So why did they leave Jefferson Scranton? Wasn't it JSPC before it went to Greene CO.?

I don't have an answer for that.

 

[theshadow]

So why did they leave Jefferson Scranton? Wasn't it JSPC before it went to Greene CO.?

J-S and East Greene merged into one district (Greene County) about 10 years ago.

P-C is still its own school district. They've just had various co-op agreements over the years with J-S (now Greene County).

 

[4cy16]

J-S and East Greene merged into one district (Greene County) about 10 years ago.

P-C is still its own school district. They've just had various co-op agreements over the years with J-S (now Greene County).

Even with the various co-op agreements, how do they survive graduating 12 kids this year.

 

[KidSilverhair]

It will all depend on if they are a parish or a non-parish family. If you are in the parish, tuition at Xavier is $7400; however, if you are a non-parish family and want to send your child to Xavier, the tuition is $11,730, so the $7600 from the state isn't going to cover your entire tuition.

It’s also interesting that he brings up “discrimination on the basis of religion” at parochial schools - they already do that, that’s a core part of religious private schools, there’s nothing wrong with it. Catholics already get “preferential” treatment as far as enrollment at Catholic schools, why wouldn’t they?

 

[KidSilverhair]

Pretty sure Linn-Mar pulls tax $$$ from NE Cedar Rapids as well, Bowman Woods area, Collins Road, the Rockwell campus. I could be wrong but I think all of those property tax dollars go to Linn-Mar. That's why Marion ISD's growth has been so limited, its tax base has been essentially surrounded with no way to grow. Not the case with Linn-Mar. All that growth out by Hiawatha and Robins too goes to LM I think. I could be wrong.

I live in NE Cedar Rapids, just off Blairs Ferry between the Target and Bowman Woods. I’m in the Linn-Mar district, as is all of Bowman Woods. You’re right, a portion of that Hiawatha growth is in Linn-Mar, too (not sure where the district boundary is) - Linn-Mar has an elementary school in Robins, so that’s them, too.

 

[cyIclSoneU]

It’s also interesting that he brings up “discrimination on the basis of religion” at parochial schools - they already do that, that’s a core part of religious private schools, there’s nothing wrong with it. Catholics already get “preferential” treatment as far as enrollment at Catholic schools, why wouldn’t they?

As far as I know, Xavier (and Dowling, Assumption etc. though I’m less familiar with them) doesn’t turn down a prospective student because they are not Catholic, or are not Christian, or are openly atheist or whatever. They charge them higher tuition, make them agree to take a theology class and go cash the checks.

I’m saying that might change if those schools are swamped with families wanting in now that Kim is going to foot the bill. It would not be surprising if some private schools are soon faced with far more demand than whatever their target enrollment number is, and how they decide who to take and who to turn away is going to be interesting.

My guess is religion may play a role, but rack rate tuition might also go up significantly such that there’s still a good chunk of out of pocket money that needs to be spent even after voucher money.

 

[KidSilverhair]

That's exactly what will happen. And Xavier does recruit, they just don't have a metro the size of DSM to poach. Xavier puts a large emphasis on winning athletically at every level, not just varsity.

Xavier recruits only a little, and really only in certain sports (not football). I’ve been following the football program for almost 20 years, and I can count on one finger of one hand the number of Xavier football players who didn’t come up through the parochial system since elementary school. Basketball is a little different. Also, he was comparing Xavier with Dowling … there‘s no comparison between the recruiting efforts of the two.

 

[KidSilverhair]

As far as I know, Xavier (and Dowling, Assumption etc. though I’m less familiar with them) doesn’t turn down a prospective student because they are not Catholic, or are not Christian, or are openly atheist or whatever. They charge them higher tuition, make them agree to take a theology class and go cash the checks.

I’m saying that might change if those schools are swamped with families wanting in now that Kim is going to foot the bill. It would not be surprising if some private schools are soon faced with far more demand than whatever their target enrollment number is, and how they decide who to take and who to turn away is going to be interesting.

My guess is religion may play a role, but rack rate tuition might also go up significantly such that there’s still a good chunk of out of pocket money that needs to be spent even after voucher money.

Sure, I gotcha. They won’t turn down many prospective students with tuition in hand if they have room. However, if more Catholic families use the vouchers to use the parochial system so the buildings fill up, I see no reason why the schools wouldn’t start using religious affiliation as a factor - and of course they can, they’re private. And also of course, they’ll charge what the market will bear (I’ve already heard the diocese is considering cutting back on their financial support of the parochial schools now that the state is stepping in to make taxpayers do it instead).

 

[theshadow]

a portion of that Hiawatha growth is in Linn-Mar, too (not sure where the district boundary is) - Linn-Mar has an elementary school in Robins, so that’s them, too.

Search "Linn-Mar School District" in Google Maps, and it'll show you the boundaries.

 

[wxman1]

Search "Linn-Mar School District" in Google Maps, and it'll show you the boundaries.

I also linked a pdf of it from the district a page or two back.

 

[Cyclone06]

I heard north ankeny will have a new catholic high school in the next 5 years.

 

[Cyclone Pfan]

As far as I know, Xavier (and Dowling, Assumption etc. though I’m less familiar with them) doesn’t turn down a prospective student because they are not Catholic, or are not Christian, or are openly atheist or whatever. They charge them higher tuition, make them agree to take a theology class and go cash the checks.

I’m saying that might change if those schools are swamped with families wanting in now that Kim is going to foot the bill. It would not be surprising if some private schools are soon faced with far more demand than whatever their target enrollment number is, and how they decide who to take and who to turn away is going to be interesting.

My guess is religion may play a role, but rack rate tuition might also go up significantly such that there’s still a good chunk of out of pocket money that needs to be spent even after voucher money.

The churhes that feed Xavier subsidize tuition (of their member students) and that's why they pay less than non-catholics. They will accept any denomination including atheist.

 

[cyIclSoneU]

I heard north ankeny will have a new catholic high school in the next 5 years.

Probably going to have a little boom here, of private schools of all kinds, within the next 5 years.

 

[theshadow]

Probably going to have a little boom here, of private schools of all kinds, within the next 5 years.

The grift is on.