Enrollment in private schools in Cowlitz County and across the state is down as the sluggish economy makes it harder for parents to afford tuition.

Public schools in Longview and Kelso also expect enrollment declines due to job losses. But officials at Three Rivers Christian School and St. Rose Catholic School say tuition is more likely to blame for their enrollment drops.

It’s tougher for families to afford the cost, which increased at both schools this fall.

“Everything we’ve discovered about those unable to return, most of those are due to finances,” said Wayne Hayes, principal of the Three Rivers Christian School’s middle and high schools, where enrollment is down 12 students this year.

Enrollment also is down at St. Rose, a K-8 school in Longview, from 210 students to 200 this year, according to the school. Tuition there is $3,300 a year. At Three Rivers elementary, where tuition is up $200 to $4,100 a year, enrollment is down to 153 from 174.

(Three Rivers Elementary is located in Longview; the middle and high schools are in Kelso.)

Statewide, enrollment in private elementary and secondary schools has declined 8 percent to 10 percent this year, said Judi Jennings, executive director of the Washington Federal of Independent Schools.

“Parents have been waiting for the other shoe to fall in the economy,” Jennings told the Associated Press.

Some schools across the state are chewing up endowments to meet increased financial aid requests, and at the same time endowments were hit by last year’s stock market freefall. At Bellarmine Catholic Prep in Tacoma, financial aid could hit $2 million this year, up from $1.6 million last year.

“Our endowment is going from $900,000 to $500,000,” said Jack Peterson, Bellarmine principal.

Both St. Rose and Three Rivers Christian cut expenses this year. Teacher salaries are frozen and Three Rivers cut a half-time high school teacher and a full-time elementary teacher. St. Rose lost a preschool teacher due to program restructuring.

Officials at both schools, however, say they have some strengths to help them weather hard times.

While class sizes increased in public schools this year, classes overall remain small in Thee Rivers and St. Rose.

“I thought that the potential was there for us to grow because we do still have small class sizes. The average class size is 19 (students),” said Three Rivers administrator Jim Chenoweth. “I was hoping we would grow, but, at the same time recognizing with the economy what it is, that could prevent some students from even returning.”

Both private schools still offer all-day kindergarten, which was cut at all but one of Kelso’s elementary schools this year but retained in all Longview public elementaries.

Kindergarten at St. Rose is up to 28 students from 19 students last year.

“We’re basically full in kindergarten,” said Rosemary Griggs, Principal of St. Rose.

Three Rivers has about 26 kindergartners, similar to last year. It’s one area Chenoweth was hoping to see a bigger gain “and I wouldn’t be surprised if we pick up a few more (students) as school gets underway,” he said.

Three Rivers ended last school year about $47,000 in the red, which was covered by the school’s reserve account.

“Over the years we’ve been financially solid. We had the reserve to take care of the deficit,” Hayes said.

At St. Rose, if expenses exceed revenues, the church can boost its subsidy or the school can dip into its endowment fund, Griggs said.

Hayes said he’s hopeful things will pick up for the future. Despite the cuts, Three Rivers will continue to offer a quality education — a factor that likely prevented enrollment drops from being more severe, he said.

“I think our parents are pleased with the quality of our teachers and quality of our education,” Hayes said. “I’m thinking we retained a number of our people because they realized there’s not going to be a change in the quality of education.”