Two private schools seeking growth have combined to form a relatively rare institution in Iowa — a private non-denominational school.

Des Moines Jewish Academy, founded in 1977, has merged with Compass Academy of West Des Moines, which was formed just two years ago. The new school, to be known as the Academy, will offer preschool through eighth-grade classes at DMJA’s existing building at 924 Polk Blvd. in Des Moines.

Of the 17 other non-public schools in Greater Des Moines that are state-accredited, all but one are affiliated with a religious denomination.

Statewide, the number of private, state-accredited schools has increased slightly in the past three years, but enrollment has declined by more than 13 percent in that period, to 39,577 students in the 2003-2004 school year. By comparison, enrollment in Iowa’s public schools declined by about 3.5 percent in that same period.

“What really happened is that at Des Moines Jewish Academy we were going to go outside of our Jewish community to grow,” said Ilene Gilson, a member of the Academy’s board of directors and a parent of an incoming first grader and fourth grader at the school. “Compass was looking to grow as well. Some parents had looked at DMJA as well as looking at Compass and kind of realized, ‘Wow, this is a match made in heaven.’”

Two well-known names in the Des Moines business community — Marvin Pomerantz and Harry Bookey, are among the supporters of the merged school.     “As a passionate supporter of the Academy, I see this merger as a positive step forward in terms of enhancing educational diversity and equality,” Pomerantz said in a written statement. “The Academy is staffed with experienced teachers who are pursuing excellence and providing the most important gifts a student can receive — their time and attention.”

Bookey, a real estate developer, said he has been approached by the the Academy to assist it brainstorming potential expansion sites. The school is an important factor that some business people who are Jewish would consider when looking whether to relocate to Des Moines, he said.

The school plans to grow while maintaining a student-teacher ratio of 15-to-1 or less, and hopes to eventually add ninth through 12th grades.     By July 1, the new school had 71 students enrolled for the fall, with a building capacity of about 100. Among that enrollment is 30 Jewish students, with the remainder being a diverse student population that includes children from Christian, Muslim and Hindu families as well as from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

“I think both schools were very welcoming of diversity,” Gilson said. “We had students of all colors and faiths as well. But I think the parents and the board had a very strong commitment to diversity. And I think the nature of the program, just letting children be who they are, welcomes and celebrates the differences.”

The Academy will retain DMJA’s state accreditation, and under that status will adhere to federal No Child Left Behind requirements. It plans to offer several elective classes for students in the final 90 minutes of each class day, which will include special math, science, music and language courses as well as Judaic studies.     Both schools held meetings in May with the families of their students, and both groups approved the merger unanimously, according to the new school’s administrators.

“The schools were similar in many ways,” said Kathy Ricker, the former principal of Des Moines Jewish Academy, who will serve as principal of the Academy. “Both focused on individual-guided education and both emphasized low student-teacher ratios. Many of the families had visited both schools as part of their decision-making process.”

Compass was formed as a non-profit corporation in 2002 by John and Cindy Sheeley of West Des Moines after the Montessori Children’s House ended its elementary school program.

“The Academy accommodates the different learning styles of children,” said Cindy Sheeley, “and we believe people will find that to be a breath of fresh air.”

The Academy plans to sell the former Compass facility at 1700 Vine St. in West Des Moines.

Tuition rates, which will be $490 per month or $4,900 for the school year, were set in an effort to be in line competively with other private schools in Des Moines, Gilson said. The full-day preschool tuition, also $490 per month, however, “is significantly less than the average day-care center in Des Moines,” she said. The half-day preschool program will cost $250 per month.     “We know that it’s not going to cover the cost,” Gilson said. “We know that there’s a lot of fund raising that will need to be done. … We’ve had talks with a lot of other people in the community about helping us find a new facility and about financial support. A lot of them want to know more about the program before they publicly commit to it.”