Expansion of Jewish Day Schools in U.S. and Canada, Which Boomed in the Past Decade, Appears to Have

The steady expansion in the number of Jewish day schools in the United States and Canada, which boomed during the past decade, appears to have peaked, according to data provided to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for its annual survey of the status of the day schools. Torah Umesorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools, an Orthodox agency, reported that two more elementary schools and two more high schools were added for the 1985-86 school year, and that four high schools were closed, for a total for the 1985-86 year of 498 schools, the same number as in the previous school year.

The agency for Conservative day schools, the Solomon Schechter Day School Association, reported continued growth in the United States. Three new elementary schools brought the total of Solomon Schechter schools for the current school year to 66 such schools — 59 elementary and seven high schools. That was three more than the U.S. total of Solom Schechter schools in the 1984-85 school year.

Rabbi David Saperstein, staff director of the task force for Jewish education of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), reported that there are at present II Reform day schools in the U.S. and Canada, with 1,100 pupils.

Rabbi Joshua Fishman, Torah Umesorah executive vice president, reported that the four additional schools were the Savannah Hebrew Academy, a communal school launched by the Savannah Jewish Council, and the Torah Day School of Atlanta, the elementary schools; and the Institute for Torah and Technology in Morganville, N.J., a vocational high school for boys, and the Yeshiva High School for Boys in Monsey, N.Y.

Fishman reported that the four high schools closed this year were the Torah Academy of Milwaukee, a girls’ school, which opened in September, 1984, and closed after one year; the New England Academy for Jewish Studies in New Haven, a girls’ school, which was closed because of “the financial crunch”; the San Diego School, Etz Chaim Institute of California, started in September, 1984; and the Maimonides High School in Minneapolis, founded in 1982.

Meir Efrati, director of the Solomon Schechter association, said the added elementary schools were in Phoenix, Arizona; Pompton Lakes, N.J.; and Oklahoma City. Efrati, who is also assistant director of the United Synagogue of America Education Department, reported that the Phoenix school was not a new school but was a new member of the association.

NO CHANGES IN CANADA

Both officials reported there had been no changes in the numbers of day schools in Canada. Fishman reported that the total of affiliated or service Orthodox day schools in Canada remained this school year at 59 schools, 43 elementary and 16 high schools in 10 provinces, with a total enrollment of 11,000.

Efrati reported there were 1,131 pupils in the three elementary Solomon Schechter schools in Canada. Fishman reported that the total enrollment in the Orthodox day schools in the U.S. in the 1984-85 year was 86,450; and 87,250 in the current school year. Efrati said that the Conservative day school enrollment in the U.S. was 12,341 for the 1983-84 school year, and 12,720 for the 1984-85 years.

He also reported that data were not complete for the Solomon Schechter day schools in the U.S. and Canada for the current school year. Fishman reported that tuition fees continued to “creep upwards.”