?'s about St. Louis private schools (Forsyth, Belle: college, price, pool)

[grmngrl8203]

I want to know if this is normal or if I should try a different school. I applied at the Forysth school for my 4 year old son. I am not rich but I did want him in a private school so I applied because they said financial aid was available. We went through the whole process applying for aid, I got approved for the full amount, did the single tour and then let Tyler test and let him do the tour, paid for his application. Then they call me and tell me thanks but they are too full this year but hes a great kid and he'll do good elsewhere. Should I not try for private schools since I'm poor even though I get assistance or what is this all about?

[TGS]

Forsyth is a pretty popular school. Once they admit all of the legacies and siblings of current students, there usually aren't a lot of spots open. It is generally a mistake to apply to only one independent school, especially the popular ones, unless you have an "in" and are pretty much guaranteed admission.

If you are set on an independent school, then just start calling all the schools on this list to see if they have any spots open:
St. Louis Independent Schools St. Louis Missouri Private Schools Saint Louis Private Schools Missouri Independent Schools Saint Louis Independent Schools Missouri (http://www.independentschools.org/member/elem.html - broken link)
If they do have spots, then you can check about financial aid. The Lewis and Clark Institute is fairly new and not well known, so they might be your best bet for open spots.

If you aren't set on an independent school, then check out the nearest Catholic or Lutheran school. Most are very good and reasonably priced.

[therewego]

What is the going rate for a Catholic private school these days?

[TGS]

For a standard parish school, it is generally between $3,000-6,000/year for one child. For additional children, it can vary between full price to only $1,000 extra a year. At a few schools, the third child and up is free. There are usually discounts for parishioners.

A lot of the schools offer financial aid. The Archdiocese is also running a good scholarship program for city kids.

[grmngrl8203]

So the chances of him getting into one are almost slim to none?

[TGS]

I don't think that your son has a slim to none chance of being accepted at an independent school. However, I think that your son's chances of getting a full scholarship at this point are somewhat low. The regular application period for next year's class at most of the schools has already passed, so the families that applied during the regular period are going to get priority for admission and financial aid. However, get on the phone to the admissions people at all the schools on the Independent Schools list, and see if they have scholarship openings. Seriously, call every single one of them except for the special education ones. You never know which school didn't get a good pool of applicants this year. Ask about waiting lists, even if their classes are full.

If that doesn't work, then check out some of the "alternative schools" (i.e. not on the list) that have a sliding fee scale like the Soulard School, or the schools that are "out of the way" for most families like Governor French Academy in Belleville. Again, also look at the Catholic and Lutheran schools. Many of them are still accepting scholarship applications and have very strong academic reputations.

If your son doesn't get into the school of your dreams this year, then there is always next year. However, applying to a good independent school is like applying to college... don't apply to just one, no matter how good the application. This is especially true if you are asking for a big scholarship. If you don't have an "in" at a school, then you should apply to at least three or four, maybe even more, to hedge your bets.

Good luck!