Henderson International School closing two of three campuses

By Steve Green

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 | 8:03 p.m.

The Henderson International School on Friday said the recession is forcing it to close two of its three campuses and eliminate its high school program.

The private school is owned by Meritas LLC of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and last reported pre-K through 12th grade enrollment of 850 students.

The company said fewer parents can afford its annual tuition, which for 12th graders is listed at $17,846 — or $40,675 including room and board.

Effective at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 school year, Henderson International said it will no longer operate a high school and will close both its Sandy Ridge campus at 1165 Sandy Ridge Ave. and Windmill campus at 2150 Windmill Parkway.

All preschool through eighth-grade activities will be merged onto its Sunridge campus at 1051 Sandy Ridge Ave.

“The extreme economic challenges facing Las Vegas — including record number of foreclosures, high unemployment, and relocation of many families out of the area — have taken their toll on many Henderson families and also resulted in lower demand for this private high school,” the school said in a statement. “Despite significant investments in academic programming and state-of-the-art facilities (including new high school buildings and athletic facilities) at the Sandy Ridge campus, the Henderson high school has been operating at a loss (including more than $1 million this year alone) and an increasing number of families are unable to make full tuition payments. With annual population growth in the area declining over the past two years, it became clear that Henderson’s high school could not be self sustaining.’’

“Despite years of intense efforts to raise enrollment and improve operations, the serious economic challenges facing our community have taken their toll,” head of schools Brian Siegel said in a statement.

“While closing the high school was a very difficult decision, and only made after other options were fully explored, doing so returns our school to financial health and allows us greater resources and focus to provide our preschool through eighth grade students with the area’s finest academic experience,” he said.