Crunching the Numbers
By Tom Whitworth III - FF/S
Admission this year is trending much more positively than last year, and that is partly because of YOU. The number of referrals we are seeing from parents, faculty and staff, and alumni has skyrocketed; word of mouth is our best marketing tool, and you all are doing a great job. Please keep it up!
We have adjusted our admission cycles to begin earlier this year, which has allowed us to move forward aggressively with prospective students. We are already at 95% of last year’s Lower School admission numbers, and are projecting that we will double the number of new students at the Lower School as compared to last year. This increase in enrollment has us looking at adding two class sections.
At the Middle School, we are seeing strong numbers just like last year. It’s clear that our new facility and curriculum continue to make the Middle School a very attractive entry point for Darlington.
In the Upper School, we are seeing a jump in incoming freshmen thanks to new partnerships with local feeder schools, St. Mary’s Catholic School and Berry Middle. We are anticipating next year’s freshman class to be much larger than we have seen in recent years. Residentially, we already have 35 students confirmed as opposed to 12 at this time last year.
We are aggressively using financial aid to acquire mission-appropriate students and keep current families here. But as we continue the slow recovery of the economy, Darlington will need more financial aid dollars to help families.
The Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program is one easy way that Georgia residents can help us increase our available financial aid dollars. Anyone paying Georgia state income tax can simply redirect those funds to Darlington through the GOAL initiative, which helps create additional scholarship opportunities for public school students who are transferring in or entering pre-K.
In 2009, 136 contributors redirected a total of $409,850 of their Georgia state income tax dollars to Darlington. In return, they received a state tax credit. So far, five scholarship awards have been given to qualified students this year, and 10 commitments have already been made for 2010-11 thanks to your support of GOAL.
Unfortunately, the House Bill that created this program could be revoked by the Georgia General Assembly at any time. Therefore, it is imperative that alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends of Darlington act fast. To learn more about this program and how to participate, please visit www.darlingtonschool.org/goalscholarship.
Another option is to contribute to Darlington’s Second Century Campaign, which aims to raise $10 million specifically for financial aid endowment. This represents 11% of the total campaign goal of $90 million. Darlington has made a difference in the lives of generations of men and women for over 100 years, and our goal with this segment of the campaign is to ensure that this transformative experience is within reach of any academically qualified student. So far, we have received over $3.9 million in gifts and pledges. For more information, visit www.darlingtonschool.org/campaign.
Again, we thank you for all you do for Darlington. It is because of you that we are able to celebrate these successes. By entrusting your children to us, you are sending a strong message that you believe in our mission here at Darlington, and others have heard you loud and clear. We appreciate you.
