Enrollment is down about 7 percent this year at The Community School, but Headmaster Andy Jones-Wilkins said the decline is much less severe than he had earlier feared.
"We had a good summer and we had some new kids come in so we're really happy with enrollment," Jones-Wilkins said.
The headmaster reported that the K-12 private school in Sun Valley has 285 students, compared to 307 at the same time last year.
"We've had years when we're below this number," he said. "We're not alarmed at all. We're really in good shape."
Jones-Wilkins said some of the decline this year can be attributed to elimination of a second fifth grade section.
He acknowledged that a few former Community School students have enrolled in the new private Sage School in Hailey, but said those students had declined to re-enroll at The Community School prior to announcements this summer of the start of the new school.
"We had a couple of kids go over there, but I think our relationship with The Sage School will be a really good one," Jones-Wilkins said. "I think it's good for the community to have a couple of options."
The Sage School opened its doors on Monday at 12B W. Carbonate St. with 16 students, within the 10- to 20-student range that founders Barge Levy and Harry Weekes had projected earlier this summer.
Both Levy and Weekes are longtime Blaine County educators. Levy was the founder and director for 16 years of the Blaine County School District's Silver Creek Alternative School, which was relocated and renamed this year to Silver Creek High School. Weekes taught biology, environmental sciences and studio art for 17 years at The Community School.
Levy and Weekes said they intend to make their school a "model in education" by providing an even blend of basic studies and experiential learning.
Levy said Thursday that he's pleased with this year's enrollment.
"We're going to limit it to 20 this year and we're at 16 now with a possibility of a few more," he said.
Levy and Weekes have said they hope to eventually have a student population of about 100.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
