Data Trends: Girls' Schools Stay Strong in Competitive Environment

Annual Survey Shows NCGS Membership Growing

12/20/2007- NCGS News

Thank you to all who participated in this year's Data Trends Survey of NCGS Member Schools. The information we collected provides a unique insight into the status and well-being of today's girls' schools. As we continue to analyze the data, we have prepared the following Preliminary Report.
 

Highlights

• NCGS Membership Is Growing: Membership has more than doubled since NCGS' founding in 1991, from 56 to 127 schools today. Student enrollment in NCGS Member Schools has increased by 11.3% since 2006. Total student enrollment in NCGS Member Schools now stands at 53,418. Of this total, 43,632 students attend full member schools; 3,825 students attend international member schools; and 5,961 students attend associate public schools.
   
  
• Enrollment Remains Stable: Enrollment has increased by 3.7% since 2005 in a core sampling of NCGS Member Schools (33 schools). Enrollment remained level from fall 2006 to 2007.
   
  
• Day Population Shows a Slight Increase:  There was a 0.6% increase in a core school sample (49 schools) since 2006. Since 1996, there has been a 14.4% increase.
   
  
• Boarding Population Is Holding Its Own:  There has been no change in boarding enrollment in the core school sample (15 schools) since 1996.
   
  
• Diversity Strengthens:  Diversity in our schools continues to grow (3.1% in just one year, from 21.6% to 24.7%) and outpaces NAIS by almost 3%.
   
  
• Retention Is a Hallmark:  High satisfaction levels are revealed in a 93.3% retention rate at NCGS Member Schools, higher than the NAIS mean.
   
  
• Technology Spending Per Student Is Strong: NCGS Member Schools spend almost $50 more per student than the national NAIS average.
   
  
• Financial Aid Is Increasing: The average financial aid grant increased by 17.2% to $14,000 in 2007.
    
   
  

NCGS Snapshot†

• 127 Member Schools (99 Full, 18 Associate or Public Schools, 12 International Member Schools); 11% growth in membership in one year
• 53,418 students represented in the 2007/08 members pool
• 84% of membership day or day/boarding, 16% boarding or boarding/day
• 11% of membership elementary, 29% secondary, 59% elementary/secondary
• 327,000 students are enrolled in 377 NCGS International Affiliate schools in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom
   
   
  

What's Next 

Clearly, we are holding our own in a competitive marketplace. Coming early in the New Year will be a full reporting of admissions, financial aid, giving, operational expense, endowment along with subgroup breakdowns by type of school (day, boarding), area of the country, and size of schools.

About NCGS

NCGS is the leading expert on single-sex education for girls, representing all-girl schools across the United States plus international members and affiliates in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Our member schools reflect the full diversity of today's educational landscape: private, public, and charter... day and boarding... urban, suburban and rural... big and small. In the U.S. alone, nearly 54,000 girls and young women attend NCGS member schools. On the web: www.ncgs.org. Media contact: Carolyn Colletti, (978) 368-9086 or carolyncolletti@ncgs.org.
 

† As of Autumn, 2007 survey; does not reflect recent additions to membership