Exploring Private High Schools in Los Angeles | K-12 Schools

While private schools around the country had a tumultuous time during the pandemic, with some seeing enrollment spikes while others experienced declines, private high schools in Los Angeles have remained a stable option for parents considering education choices.

Statewide, private high school enrollment in California dipped by about 1,500 students as the pandemic struck in 2019-20, but largely bounced back in the 2020-21 school year, according to information provided by schools to the California Department of Education. Enrollment in August stood at about 150,700 students, only slightly fewer than the school year before the pandemic.

In Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles as well as Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica and many other cities in Southern California, the dip in enrollment was more pronounced, but still not large. Between the 2018-19 and the 2020-21 school years, enrollment at private high schools decreased by about 3.5{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf}, according to the Department of Education data.

However, the data also shows the drop in enrollment at Los Angeles County private high schools appears to be slowing year-over-year, with enrollment down almost 1,100 students in the 2019-20 school year but only about 600 in 2020-21.

Deborah Dowling, executive director of the California Association of Independent Schools, which represents 232 schools statewide and more than 50 in the Los Angeles area, says she does not see major shifts.

“Overall, 2020-21 enrollment across our association was down 2{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} from 2019-20,” she wrote in an email. “We don’t know if that will come back up for 2021-22, stay steady or drop a little further, but we don’t expect much change. Enrollment does seem to have held reasonably stable through the pandemic.”

Educational consultants are saying the same.

“Generally, private schools in Los Angeles have continued to maintain enrollment numbers despite the pandemic taking a financial toll on many segments of American society,” Akbar Rahel, admissions director at Prep Expert, a company that helps students prepare for college testing and application, wrote in an email. “Of course, this can be attributed to the fact that the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on lower-income families. Families with children already in a private school were unlikely to feel the negative financial effects of the lockdowns and restrictions.”

The average annual tuition for private high schools in California is $19,800, according to the Education Data Initiative, and top schools in Los Angeles can be $30,000 or more.

Jamie Bakal, a former teacher and veteran education consultant in Los Angeles, says there are many factors impacting educational choices and enrollment. But the smaller classes offered by private schools, along with wellness initiatives, expanded class offerings and an emphasis on college preparation, keeps interest high.

“There seems to be a push and pull from a few different things,” she says of the current climate. “But it has all kind of balanced itself out.”

Overall, she says, “I think interest is up.”

For parents looking at private high schools in Los Angeles and the surrounding area, here is a sample of what’s available: