Magnet and Private Schools Have Little Effect on Avon Public School Population

Capitol Regional Education Council is looking to expand one of its magnet schools in Avon from 245 to 450 pre-kindergarten to fifth grade students by 2013, and it is not clear at this time how that would affect the Avon Public School enrollment numbers.

In terms of the overall effect of private and magnet school options on public school enrollment, Avon administrators have not seen significant drops in student population in the elementary to middle school age groups.

Roaring Brook School Principal Crisanne Colgan said there has not been much change in the elementary school’s student body since CREC applied to move its Reggio Magnet School of the Arts into town in June 2008. Reggio is currently located at 150 Fisher Dr., the other half of the Farmington Valley Academy Montessori building. Some Avon elementary school students go to the University of Hartford Magnet School, but that has also had little impact.

“We have eight students (four in kindergarten, four in grade one) at the Reggio Magnet School in Avon and two students at the University of Hartford Magnet School (one in kindergarten and one in grade two),” Colgan said. “So the enrollment impact is minimal.”

Most of the 245 students at the Capitol Regional Education Council’s pre-kindergarten to second grade Reggio Magnet School of the Arts are from Avon, Canton, Farmington, Hartford, Simsbury and West Hartford, according to Bruce E. Douglas, CREC executive director.

Douglas did not say what this means for Avon, but explained that it depends on a Connecticut State Department of Education lottery.

“The CT State Department of Education, through its Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) conducts an annual lottery, whereby all families throughout the state are welcome to apply,” Douglas said. “Students are then selected randomly for a specified number of seats available in the school.”  

The deadline for application to the lottery was Feb. 11, and the current enrollment total for students from Avon is 28 for the current school year. Of the 450 kids estimated for 2013, Douglas said 225 of them, about half, would likely be from Hartford.

“The rest of the student body shall be made up of students from throughout the Greater Hartford,” he said.

The magnet school follows the Italian philosophy of Reggio Emilia, that “is designed to respect a child’s point of view,” encouraging students to “take control of the direction of their learning and to direct their day to day activities” as they learn through experience, Douglas said.

Reggio does not have an effect at this time on Thompson Brook School or Avon Middle School, but there are two other schools in Avon that offer fifth to sixth grade enrollment – Farmington Valley Academy Montessori and Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology. The Montessori school accepts children from 18 months to eighth grade, and Talcott Mountain Academy educates students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Neither generally cause a significant decrease in Avon Middle School enrollment, according to Avon Middle School Principal Marco Famiglietti.

“I can tell you that magnet and private schools have had very little effect on our enrollment and funding,” Famiglietti said.

But other available magnet and private schools in the region may have more of an affect on the Avon High School population. High school boys also have the option of private institution Avon Old Farms School.

“Typically we don't see students moving to those choice schools until ninth grade.  I can tell you that we historically lose around ten percent of our exiting eighth graders to private and magnet high schools,” Famiglietti said.

Patch freelancer Lisa Lenkiewicz contributed to this report.