Scot Lynn of North Carroll Community School helps a student during an outdoor event.
Written by James Rada, Jr., Photos by: Phil Grout,
As Carroll County students headed back to the classroom this year, about one out of every 11 went somewhere other than one of the 44 public schools in the county.
Carroll County has 17 non-public schools. They may be church-sponsored schools or private institutions that seek to teach in a different way, but all are funded through tuition rather than tax dollars. They range from those that simply offer kindergarten and pre-kindergarten services to those that teach everything from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
Maryland’s public education system ranks high in national standards, but parents remain concerned about how well their children are being educated. Some parents are looking for something more or perhaps just something different for their children and a non-public education is becoming a popular option.
“We opened in 2002 with seven students and now we have about 320,” said Mary Louque, director of admissions for Gerstell Academy in Finksburg. “Even in a down economy, we have never had a dip in admissions.”
Making the jump to a non-public school can be confusing for parents. Non-public schools are not required to administer the same tests that public schools give students. The non-public schools are not even ranked among themselves.
Scot Lynn, co-founder of the North Carroll Community School in Westminster, was a public school teacher before he started the school with fellow teacher Diane Havighurst.
“When we started, some people in the public schools made it us-against-them,” said Lynn, “but we wanted to give people an option. We felt like instruction should be delivered in a different way.”
Parents considering non-public education for their children first need to understand where public schools fail to meet their children’s needs. Then they should look at the programs, course offerings, teaching philosophy, teacher qualification, class size, facilities and other factors.
About two-thirds of Carroll County’s non-public schools are church-affiliated. Church schools tend to have course offerings that are similar to those of public schools. In addition, many of them also include religious classes and services and start the day with a prayer.
Carroll County has two Montessori Schools, Ava Wanas Montessori School in Sykesville and the Montessori School of Westminster. Montessori schools were founded in 1907 by Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female doctor. She created an educational method based on her theory that children teach themselves. Montessori schools use a “prepared environment” that allow children to choose from different developmentally appropriate activities. They emphasize learning with all five senses. Children in Montessori schools learn at their own pace. The schools use multi-age class grouping with longer work periods that allow children to explore subjects.
Some of Carroll County non-public schools focus on encouraging their students to reach new heights through rigorous coursework.
The Gerstell Academy was founded in 1996 by Dr. Frederick G. Smith. (Gerstell is Smith’s middle name and an old family name) The school, located on a 250-acre campus in Finksburg, offers classes from kindergarten through grade 12. Among the courses required for graduation are Conceptual Physics, Leadership 1-IV and Spanish 1-IV.
“We want our students to able to compete,” said Louque. “We want them ready and fit to face the world.”
Gerstell Academy held its first graduation in 2012. Twenty of the graduates planned to attend college. They were accepted to 70 colleges and universities and awarded more than $1.5 million in merit scholarships.
The North Carroll Community School offers kindergarten through grade 8 in multi-age classrooms that allow both in-depth study and differentiated instruction.
“We believe that instruction should be passionately delivered and develop life-long learners,” said North Carroll Comunity School’s Lynn.
He noted that when students transfer to a high school from the North Carroll Community School, they typically perform better than their peers.
The Legacy School in Sykesville is a specialized non-public school that offers services for students struggling with dyslexia and other related language-based learning differences. The school allows teachers the freedom to tailor their instruction to their students’ needs. Each student who reads below grade level gets one-on-one tutoring.
The biggest drawback of non-public schools is cost. The Gerstell Academy costs $16,500 a year and most of the non-public schools in Carroll County have a tuition between $5,000 and $6,000, not including fees and materials. The good news is that non-public school tuition can vary widely and many schools offer tuition assistance. So for parents shopping for a school for their children, it becomes a matter of matching a school that meets their needs and one that they can afford.
The best way to do this is to visit the school and speak with an admissions director.
Carroll County’s Non-Public Schools
- Ava Wanas Montessori School 7590 College Road, Sykesville; (410) 970-6181; www.avawanasmontessori.com. Offers kindergarten
- Christian Preschool and Kindergarten Program 65 Washington Road, Westminster; (410) 857-4389; www.christianpreschoolkindergarten.com. Offers kindergarten
- Carroll Christian Schools 550 Baltimore Boulevard, Westminster; (410) 876-3838; www.carrollchristian.com. Offers kindergarten through grade 12
- Carroll Lutheran School 1738 Old Taneytown Road, Westminster; (410) 848-1050; www.carrolllutheranschool.org. Offers kindergarten through grade 8
- Crest Lane Seventh-Day Adventist School 324 Crest Lane, Westminster; (410) 840-4240; www.crestlane.org. Offers pre-kindergarten through grade 8
- Faith Christian School 30 North Cranberry Road, Westminster; (410) 848-8875; www.faith-christian-school.com. Offers kindergarten through grade 12
- Gerstell Academy 2500 Old Westminster Pike, Finksburg; (410) 861-3000; www.gerstell.org. Offers kindergarten through grade 12
- Grace Bible Christian Preschool and Kindergarten 3250 Charmil Drive, Manchester; (410) 374-9286; www.gbcnc.com. Offers kindergarten
- Holy Spirit Lutheran Church Early Childhood Learning Center 2205 Old Liberty Road, Eldersburg; (410) 795-2287; www.hslceldersburgmd.org. Offers pre-kindergarten
- Legacy School 115 Terrapin Drive, Eldersburg; (443) 799-3280; www.legacyschoolmd.org. Offers grades 1 through 8
- Little Friends of Grace Preschool 21 Carroll Street, Westminster; (410) 848-7020; www.gracelc.org. Offers pre-kindergarten
- The Montessori School of Westminster 1055 Montessori Drive, Westminster; (410) 848-6283; www.montessorischoolofwestminster.org. Offers kindergarten grade 9
- North Carroll Community School 531 Old Westminster Pike, Suite 100, Westminster; (410) 386-0655; www.nccschool.info. Offers kindergarten through grades 8
- St. James Nursery School 1307 N. Main Street, Mt. Airy; (301) 829-0014; www.stjamesmtairy.org. Offers pre-kindergarten
- St. John School 45 Monroe Street, Westminster; (410) 876-7228; www.sjwestschool.org. Offers pre-kindergarten through grade 8
- St. Stephen’s Classical Christian Academy 2275 Liberty Road, Eldersburg; (410) 795-1249; www.st-stephens-rec.com. Offers kindergarten through grade 3
- Wesley Freedom United Methodist Church Early Years Learning Center 961 Johnsville Road, Sykesville; (410) 549-2257; www.wesleyfreedom.org. Offers pre-kindergarten
