Driven by academic excellence, strong community ties and a growing desire for Jewish identity, the Farmington Hills school reflects a national trend of increasing day school enrollment.

Enrollment at Hillel Day School is the highest it’s been since 2003, said Head of School Dr. Darin Katz.

The Farmington Hills school is part of a larger trend, according to Prizmah, the network of Jewish day schools and yeshivahs in North America. The organization recently released a report that illustrates that after decades of decline, Jewish day school enrollment is rising across denominations.

At press time, Dr. Katz said enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is up by 30 students, and he expects that number to rise.

The school, which serves students in pre-K to eighth grade, currently sits at 641. “We are still getting phone calls for this coming school year. It could maybe be higher in the next couple weeks,” he said.

Dr. Katz attributes Hillel’s success to several factors. “We maintain strong relationships with the Jewish preschools in the area, like Temple Israel, Temple Beth El, The J and Lamplighters. Many of those parents consider sending their children to Hillel when they’re done at other preschools.

“Also, I think our reputation in the community is one of providing academic excellence and a very strong Judaic education while fostering a strong sense of Zionism in our students,” he added.

“Finally, now, when anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric seems to be increasing every single day, I think there are more Jewish parents in Metro Detroit who recognize that, in my opinion, the best antidote to rising antisemitism and anti-Zionism is a strong day school education.”

Changing Trends

According to the new report, within Prizmah’s network of 305 Jewish day schools, which includes 122 nondenominational schools and 153 Orthodox schools, enrollment increased from 94,008 students in the 2021-2022 school year to approximately 101,041 students in 2025-2026, marking an increase of 7,000 students, or 7.5%. In the 2025-2026 school year, overall enrollment grew by more than 1,000 students.

The report found that non-Orthodox school enrollment increased by 3% from 2021 to 2024, while Orthodox schools have seen a 7% increase. Reform day school enrollment has also risen by 5%, reversing years of declining trends.

“The importance of these sustained trends cannot be overstated. The last Avi Chai census of Jewish day schools published in 2020 documented a decades-long trend of decline in non-Orthodox enrollment,” Prizmah’s CEO Paul Bernstein said. “The trends have shifted, and we could not be more proud of our work and the work that field leaders, schools and communities have done to make this happen.”

Bernstein credited the growth to several factors, including rises in the Jewish population of some communities, the declining quality of education in certain public school systems and new philanthropic investments in Jewish day schools. He added that families who first enrolled their children during the pandemic and stayed, an ongoing desire for Jewish community following the Oct. 7 terror attacks, schools’ growing reputation for quality and greater accessibility thanks to scholarship programs and increased communal funding helped fuel the growth.

The Appeal of Hillel Day School

Hillel has a robust tuition assistance program for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

“Seventy percent of our families receive tuition assistance,” Dr. Katz said. “We also offer, I believe, Metro Detroit’s only Jewish communal professional discount. Children of Jewish communal professionals receive 30% off of tuition in addition to possible tuition assistance.

“Our board of trustees maintains a strong commitment to making sure that a Hillel education is accessible and financially possible for families who want to send their children here,” he added.

The school continues to make strides. “New this year are a new middle school math curriculum that we’re excited about, which will take our strong math program and add even more excellence to it; new Israel education courses for our sixth and seventh grade students; and we welcomed a new shlicha, who will be teaching Hebrew.”

Hillel Day School’s Director of Enrollment Management Arielle Endelman said she’s heard a variety of reasons why parents are enrolling their kids at Hillel.

“One common theme is community, especially after Oct. 7 and the Temple Israel attack. The desire for Jewish kids and families to be among other Jewish kids and families to create community and belonging is strong.

“Security is also top of mind for many parents. The many layers of security we have in place at Hillel gives parents a sense of safety and peace of mind,” she added.

“Finally, our dual curriculum is appealing to parents. Our students receive a rigorous general studies education as well as a second language throughout the day. Learning Hebrew is not only important for students’ Jewish identity, it’s been proven that learning a second language improves student performance in other academic areas also.”

Story by: The Detroit Jewish News