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[quote=Anonymous]I think two classrooms per grade is a nice size for elementary, because then there's some variety year-to-year and the school can operate a few different sports and other activities. But even that is too small for middle school when kids are ready for a bigger setting and more choices. Even for elementary I think 15 in a grade is too small for me. The kids do get sick of each other being together year after year, and one or two strong personalities can dominate everything. Sometimes kids have friendship trouble even when nobody's doing anything wrong, and in a school that tiny, there's no other friend options. And it's true they can more easily get out of whack with boy-girl balance and that's very hard to recover from.

Whatever level your kid is at academically, in a class of 15 that means they'll be with the same 5 kids most of the day and they get tired of that. Also it will really limit what programming is offered, and your kid might not find friends they really click with. That imaginary 16th kid might have been your kid's best friend.

Sometimes really small schools attract a higher proportion of kids with special needs, or kids whose parents are in denial of special needs and think a small school or small class size will solve whatever's going on. If that's what you're looking for, great. But you should know it going in.

You also have to evaluate the financial stability of the school. Really small schools tend to operate on a pretty thin margin and one or two unexpected empty seats can be a problem. Bigger schools are sometimes more stable. Of course, mismanagement will take down a school whether it's big or small, going to a big school is no guarantee.

Also be aware that people will say "this small school is perfect for my small child" but then they may feel like a larger setting is better, or they may want to get on track for a particular high school, so they'll leave. And it can be hard to recruit new students in upper grades. So starting with 15 in K means you might end up with 10 or less in 7th and 8th. Fine if you like that, but I think a lot of kids would feel socially stifled. And it's a financial problem for the school. So really kick the tires here, read the 990 and annual report and whatever other information you can get.[/quote]

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