The End of Jewish Day School

In late summer and early spring of each year, as registration fees, payments and tuition schedules are due, conversations about the “day-school crisis” light up Modern Orthodox social media. Devastated parents begin to bemoan the astronomical cost of private school tuition on top of the already high cost of living for those choosing a Modern Orthodox life. Often eating up almost or all of one parent’s salary, day-school tuition is a debilitating cost under normal circumstances. This year, with the financial cost of the pandemic bringing the economy to its knees, the pressure is becoming too much for many families (and possibly schools) to bear.