Local private schools expand enrollment, facilities

Private schools in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island are growing in enrollment and expanding current facilities, and some hope to add high schools.

Among them is Cross Episcopal School, which wants to build a high school at some point in the future, said director of development Brittany Tarleton.

The school's existing 16 classrooms on Buckwalter Parkway serve about 339 students in preschool through 8th grade. Cross Episcopal opened in 1999 with only seven students.

The school has nearly finished a 17,000 square-foot addition. When the addition is complete and the pre-kindergarten session begins, the school will serve about 430 students, Tarleton said.

Next year, Cross Episcopal will offer ninth and 10th grade classes. It has not, however, started raising funds to build the high school.

Local Catholic schools also are planning a high school in the area that would serve Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head residents.

Patrick Kelley, a parishioner of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Bluffton, said a committee has formed to study the project.

Plans are still conceptual and require authorization by the bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, Kelley said. The plan is on hold since the diocese is now without a bishop and has been so for nearly a year. The appointment of a new bishop would be made by Pope Benedict XVI.

Kelley said the committee anticipates the school would serve about 500 students and hopes to open the campus in 2012.

While they wait, Catholic schools are planning other projects and expanding current facilities.

St. Gregory hopes to build a new school facility and athletic field, along with other church expansions. Student enrollment numbers were

unavailable. Those plans are on hold due to traffic concerns and will be considered at the Beaufort County Council meeting Sept. 22.

St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church on Hilton Head Island recently opened a fine arts center and plans to break ground on a multipurpose building with a gymnasium and auditorium Nov. 1. The school has 220 students.

Other parochial schools also are upgrading facilities.

At Hilton Head Christian Academy, a new 20,000 square-feet middle school is scheduled to open in fall 2009.

At full capacity, it could serve about 525 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, said headmaster Mike Lindsey. Currently, 479 students attend the school.

Though the academy has seen significant growth over the past three years, director of admissions Brenda McPherson said the struggling economy has brought a slight decrease in the student population this year.

Another private school, Hilton Head Preparatory School, is not only adding buildings but also is expanding curriculum, faculty and fundraising, said director of institutional advancement Margot Brown.

The school recently completed a $5.2 million fieldhouse and plans to build a new arts center and add tennis courts.

Five years ago, the school served 392 students. It now has an enrollment of 450, Brown said.

"We have benefited from the growth in the area, but we can't pick everybody who applies because we have limited space and resources," she said.

Local Montessori schools also are expanding.

May River Montessori, which serves 130 children, recently added a third building to its campus.

And Sea Pines Montessori Academy, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, added sixth-grade level courses to its program.

The Sea Pines school intends to add seventh- and eighth-grade classes next year. It currently serves 209 students.

Other schools such as the Branch Christian School, with about 25 students, and the Hilton Head Heritage Academy, with 155 students, continue to grow in enrollment but do not yet need to expand their facilities, according to school officials.