By Marcus Fitzsimmons

Private schools in Sevier County are experiencing a greater rise in enrollment than public schools. While some private schools in the area are reporting increases of twelve to twenty percent, enrollment figures obtained from the Sevier County Public School System for the past three school years represent an increase of around two percent. The Herald recently spoke to administrators from three private schools in the area who said that parents are making the switch to private schools for several reasons. Dr. Douglas Mills of Covenant Christian Academy, a non-denominational private Christian school, told The Herald that they have experienced steady growth in enrollment for the past few years. “Our school is growing fifteen to twenty percent every year,” said Mills, who also stated that most parents choose to place their child in the school for social, academic or religious issues. He noted that part of the appeal of private schooling is the smaller student-to-teacher ratio. “The students get more attention,” said Mills. Jenny Dennis, Administrative Assistant at Covenant Christian Academy, stated, “I’ve had probably four or five parents in the past week who have come in here and said that their children are not learning at [public] school. Also, unfortunately, parents are coming in with stories that make my skin crawl. There are issues of drugs, alcohol, sexual situations that adults shouldn’t even be subjected to.” Mills notes that the number of parents willing to make the financial commitment to place their child in private school is very revealing. “This is not a high income area. You know something’s up if they are willing to give up a free education offered by the state and pay a bill to have them attend a private school. These are regular working class people. It’s tough on some of these parents,” commented Mills. According to Director Robin Moore of The Riverdale Academy, a private, non-profit, non-Christian school that offers an alternative to public school in a religiously neutral environment, class size is the biggest issue for parents of her students. “The majority of what we hear is that parents want a smaller student-to-teacher ratio and more personalized attention. We can tailor our curriculum to each individual child,” she stated. Walter Grubb of The King’s Academy, a private Christian school, told The Herald, “We have been growing twelve percent a year for the last seven years.” Grubb said that, although religious issues are one reason parents may choose private over public schools, class size and quality of education are very important to them. “They want more than they’re getting,” stated Grubb, adding, “We do have a smaller academic environment and that is an important factor.” When asked to comment on the subject, Sevier County School Superintendent Dr. Jack Parton said that although public school is not for everyone, he believes the public school system provides a quality program. “Our student-to-teacher ratio is the lowest it’s ever been. We’re very proud to have the ratio we have,” stated Parton. “We have a very good program here and our test scores will show that.” Parton also stated that he attributes that to, “the teaching professionals, the students and the parents in the community. They demand it.”