Photo: ClaremontPrep.org
When last we checked in on Claremont Prep, the absurdly well-appointed new private school in the financial district, Andrew Marks profiled it late last year for New York as “the Next Dalton,” the start-up school with the city’s best student-teacher ratio, 125,000 square feet of space, a full-time nutritionist, three chefs, and a gym “the Reebok Sports Club would love to have.” The strategy was to snare the affluent families who now see lower Manhattan as a legitimate living option. So how’s Claremont doing after year one? In a word: Awful! In 2006 there were only 54 students instead of the projected 1,000, says today’s Sun; now enrollment is up to a more palatable — but still dire — 125. The school remains a last-ditch choice. “I couldn’t find too many, if any, families who were genuinely interested in Claremont,” school consultant Victoria Goldman told the Sun. Apparently, Claremont has no name-drop value yet, and Manhattan parents are loathe to send their kids to a school whose mere mention doesn’t make brunch partners choke with envy. Because, you know, that’s what’s best for the kids.
Snobbery Is Surprise Issue for a New School [NYS]
Related: Building the Next Dalton [NYM]
