According to the Independent Schools Admission Association of Greater New York, around 300 more students wanted kindergarten seats last year than New York City independent schools had places to offer. About 2,700 4-year-olds took the Educational Resource Board tests required for entry at most schools, and the schools offered an estimated 2,400 spots, Isaagny’s chairman, George Davison, said.

Mr. Davison, who also heads the Grace Church School in Lower Manhattan, said that increased wealth in Manhattan and more families staying in the city — there were more than 30% more children under 5 in Manhattan in 2005 than 2000, census figures show — lead him to believe the gap will widen. “I wouldn’t be surprised this year if we saw it being 2,900 kids taking the ERB, and then all of a sudden you get a bit more of an issue,” he said.

One solution, he said, is building new schools, as entrepreneurs such as Michael Koffler, the CEO of a private company that opened Claremont in 2005 and runs several nursery schools, have already begun to do.

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From the Wikipeda entry for Education in New York City:

There are approximately 900 additional privately run secular and religious schools in the city.[7] These include some of the most prestigious private schools in the United States, among them the Brearley School, Buckley School, Collegiate School, Dalton School, Spence School, Chapin School, Nightingale-Bamford School, Horace Mann School, Trinity School, Saint Ann’s School, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Regis High School, Ramaz School, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Poly Prep, and Riverdale Country School. About 30,000 students attend private schools in New York.

There are several parochial schools, serving elementary and secondary levels of students. Main denominations or religions operating these institutions are Roman Catholic, Jewish -Orthodox and some non-Orthdox, and Muslim. The Satmar Jewish community of Brooklyn operates its own network of schools, which is the fourth largest school system in New York state

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According to the New York Times, teenage use of alcohol and drugs dropped significantly in New York City in 2005 compared with past years, and is lower than the national rate.

However, because use of alcohol and some drugs are more prevalent among white and affluent students, the city’s surveys may understate the overall rate since private school students were not included in the survey. Private school students currently account for ~20% of the total New York City teenage population.

Still, city officials say they are confident that inclusion of private school students would still show lower rates of drug and alcohol abuse in the city than nationwide. In particular, the most recent national surveys show binge drinking almost twice as common nationally as in the city, and methamphetamine use two to three times as common.

In all, 8,000 students took the survey in 2003 and 2005, with only 1,500 students taking the survey in earlier years.

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Horace Mann, one of New York’s top private schools, educates 1,605 K–12 students, a fifth of whom receive some financial aid.

The school generates annual revenue of $62.26 million ($6.376 million is profit, which the school invests at its discretion). Revenue is derived from two sources of income: Tuitions are 72% of the school’s money and donations (plus interest) the rest, or 28%.

Via New York Magazine

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New York City is gossiping about the fall’s newest teen drama: Gossip Girl. The show is based on the popular novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Gossip Girl revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York’s Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues.

Modern television audiences have always loved shows involving wealthy families, from Beverley Hills 90210 to The Hills. How will the latest representation of the upper class – shot right here in New York City – come off? How do students in Manhattan private schools combat the images of drugs, sex and rock and roll? How do administrators address such issues in the classroom?

Ah, let the gossiping begin…

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