Baltimore Jewish Day Schools

Day schools provide children with Jewish and general education in a nurturing environment that imparts a strong sense of community and Jewish identity. Students learn about Judaism through living it, studying its texts, celebrating its culture, and engaging in its practices. Day schools are private elementary, middle and high schools supported by Jewish communities.

Baltimore coeducational Jewish day schools encompass the following grades: K-4 for elementary/lower schools, 5-8 for middle schools, and 9-12 for high schools. Our four Baltimore days schools include those affiliated with reform, conservative and orthodox synagogues as well as independent and community schools. Of the approximately 760 day schools in the U.S., 76% are affiliated with Orthodox institutions, 13% have community affiliations, 8% with the Conservative movement, and 3% are affiliated with the Reform movement.  A community Jewish day school is unaffiliated with any specific denomination. These schools attract a pluralistic student body. Almost every school attracts students both within and beyond its denominational affiliation.

Some day schools offer what is known as a dual curriculum, offering traditional school subjects like math, English, and social studies as well as Judaic subjects, like Tanakh (bible), Jewish history, and Hebrew. Other schools opt for an integrated curriculum where students cover both general and Jewish studies in the same classroom setting. For example, an integrated curriculum might include teachings about Hanukah in a course on ancient world history. Both pedagogic models offer close personal attention, encourage critical thinking, and create habits of mind that prepare students well for future studies. Whichever model is followed, day school education enables children to make full use of their time, all the while experiencing the best of both worlds.

Jewish day schools’ elementary, middle, and high schools offer a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for college and post-graduate study. Among a recent study of college-aged day school alumni, 90% of non-Orthodox and 75% of Orthodox students reported their high school classes were intellectually stimulating. Nearly all graduates of liberal or modern Orthodox day schools attend secular colleges and universities, and graduates of day schools attend the most prestigious public and private colleges at disproportionately high rates. Day schools more than prepare their alumni for the rigors academic and otherwise of higher education. According to a 2007 study of day school alumni in college, a high level of civic responsibility is one byproduct of a day school education: Day school alumni are more likely to hold leadership positions in political or social action groups. Additionally, the study found that day school alumni succeed academically, choose diverse majors, and pursue advanced degrees at virtually the same rate as those who attended a public or private school. Furthermore, there are lower rates of binge drinking among day school alumni than other college students. More broadly, Jewish day schools provide young people with an extensive peer community that supports a positive and knowledgeable Jewish identity. According to a recent study, approximately 90% of day school alumni (1-12 years attendance) marry Jews and 72% report that being Jewish is very important. Graduates of day schools are equipped with a level of Jewish literacy that enables them to make life decisions inspired by Jewish values, traditions, texts, and culture. It also predisposes them to living actual Jewish lives. Day school alumni are much more likely than supplementary or Sunday school alumni to observe rituals, feel an attachment to Israel, and send their own children to day school.

Until the middle of the 20th century, it was considered un-American for religious groups to educate their children in non-public schools. The public school system was the preferred way into the melting pot of American society. Hence, most of the Jews who arrived in the early part of the 1900s, as well as their children and grandchildren, received their education in public schools. In the 1960s, a cultural shift began to affirm religious and ethnic pluralism within the United States. This shift redefined the relationship of religious groups to American society and opened the door for rapid proliferation of Jewish day schools across the country. This trend was started initially in the Orthodox community, but eventually spread to the Conservative and Reform movements. In Canada, where there never was a melting pot ethos, day schools were established immediately upon the arrival of the Jews to those communities in the early 20th century. To this day, the Canadian day school enterprise enrolls a much greater percentage of the community’s children. More recent concerns about intermarriage and Jewish continuity have brought greater attention and resources to day schools. In addition, Jewish parents are seeking a high quality Jewish and general education that will yield a new generation literate in its Judaism. Day schools, through the intensity of their program and the quality of their instruction, have become attractive places to acquire an education. As the demand for quality Jewish education has grown, so have the number and diversity of Jewish day schools.

As with other private schools, most day schools are governed by a board of trustees. While there are associations for the various denominations (Orthodox, Conservative, etc.), each school is run independently. The trustees determine the day school’s vision and mission, and oversee their implementation. The board of trustees is composed of both parents and volunteer community leaders. The day-to-day operation of a day school is managed by a head of school. The head of school is usually an education professional or a rabbi. Heads of school work very closely with the trustees.

Like other agencies in the Jewish community, day schools depend on a number of sources for financial support. Tuition is the largest proportion of most schools’ operating budgets. Federations support the day schools in their communities, usually through a direct allocation based on a per-capita formula. In addition to annual allocations, federations often provide assistance with capital and endowment campaigns. Schools are called upon to provide an increasing amount of their own support. Schools conduct fundraising campaigns for their annual budget (including scholarships), capital expenses, and endowments. Parents, grandparents, and alumni are natural supporters of the schools to which they have a connection. Yet an increasing number of donors have no direct connection to the school which they support. They recognize the tremendous capacity of day schools to further Jewish continuity. Day schools are considered essential and valuable institutions to any thriving Jewish community.

Jewish day schools try to provide assistance to as many families as possible in order to make a Jewish education available to as many children as possible. Significant and ongoing efforts are devoted to fundraising and building endowments to support a growing need for tuition assistance. School Financial Aid Committees operate under complete confidentiality based on such factors as family size, income and expenses, assets and liabilities, and any special circumstances. A family’s need for financial aid is determined annually based using the Facts Grant & Aid Assessment service. Be sure to check with individual schools to determine the deadline for submitting the Facts application, together with copies of Internal Revenue Service form and supporting statements.