By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — An international for-profit company scooped up downtown's six-year-old Claremont Preparatory School this week.
Meritas, which owns nine other private schools around the globe, will begin running Claremont immediately, adding a broader curriculum that includes more foreign languages and cross-cultural training.
"We are committed to bringing our extensive educational resources to Claremont and create a top school in New York that is recognized internationally," Mac Gamse, CEO of Meritas, said in a statement.
Claremont Prep opened in 2005 with just 54 students and has since grown to 530 students in preschool through 10th grade. The school operates out of two plush downtown facilities: a 125,000-square-foot elementary school at 41 Broad St. and a new 200,000-square-foot middle and high school at 25 Broadway, both of which have a pool, a gym and a theater and give Claremont room to add another 1,000 students in the future.
Michael Koffler, CEO of MetSchools, Claremont's founder and former owner, informed parents of the sale in a letter on Monday that obliquely addressed concerns about the rocky leadership at the school, which is on its fourth headmaster.
"We are sensitive to the fact that there have been changes at Claremont and are committed to ensuring a positive impact on the Claremont community," Koffler wrote. "Consistency for our students and faculty is extremely important to all of us, which is why we have been working closely with Meritas leadership to ensure a smooth transition for students, teachers and families."
Claremont, which has a $34,650 tuition price tag next year, has faced challenges of high turnover among students and staff, with 20 percent student attrition last year, the New York Times reported. Claremont had planned to draw 1,000 students by 2007 but still only has about half that amount.
At Meritas, Claremont will join a network of schools that include the Collège du Léman in Geneva and the Léman International School in China. Meritas will bring in teachers from around the world to instruct the students, with a focus on individualized learning, according to the company's press release.
Meritas will also begin counseling students on college admissions in the sixth grade, the press release said.
A spokesman for Claremont declined to comment on the school's sale price.
