JCDSRI Community Survey Results

Background

• There are approximately 1,200 Jewish children aged 5-10 in Rhode Island. This translates to roughly 200 per grade in grades K-5. About 10% of that number attend JCDS.

• Young Jewish children (those below age 6) are heavily concentrated in Providence and Pawtucket. 44% of them live there, 29% in West Bay, and 9% in Barrington. The concentration is slightly lower among all children below age 18, with 38% in Providence and Pawtucket, 30% in West Bay, and 9% in Barrington.

• Our survey received 224 responses, representing 454 children-- approximately one in five Jewish children living in the state. This includes 80 families who send children to JCDS (a response rate of about 2/3); 131 families who send children to other schools; and 89 families with children below school age. Half of the respondents live outside of Providence and Pawtucket.

Findings

1. JCDS Families

• Choose the school because of its emphasis on values, their desire for a strong Jewish education, and because the quality of General Studies is better than at their local public schools.

• However, they feel the quality of General Studies, compared to other private schools, is just “OK.” They say that this is the most important thing to improve at the school.

• 44% of families say that they “would or probably would continue to enroll” if the school moved to Warwick; 41% say that they “probably would not or not continue to enroll.” JCDS families who live in West Bay responded more favorably to an East Side location than to a Warwick location.

2. Non-JCDS Families

• Providence families choose not to attend JCDS because they believe a better education is available at another private school.

• West Bay and Barrington families choose not to attend JCDS because they are satisfied with their local public schools.

• Given a choice between an East Side and a Warwick location, only 7% of non-JCDS families say they “would or probably would” enroll children at JCDS in the future if it is not located near where they live. About 23% say they “would or probably would” enroll if it is.

3. Families with Young Children

• Most important factors influencing their decision about whether or not to enroll at JCDS in the future are the quality of their local public schools, the affordability of JCDS compared to public school, and the convenience of the location. The shared saying they “would or probably would enroll at JCDS” in the future is 40% for an East Side location, compared to 24% for a Warwick location.

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