By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

INDIAN SPRINGS — Indian Springs School has reached its maximum enrollment for the upcoming school year.

School Director Gareth Vaughan said the school renewed a focus on boarding students to help attain that maximum enrollment.

“I think what’s happened is that boarding started to increase a year ago. That was very important in supporting us,” he said.

Vaughan said the enrollment of day students has also begun to increase.

The school has 275 students enrolled for the 2012-2013 school year, which will begin Aug. 20. Of those students, 190 are day students and 85 are boarding students.

The enrollment of 275 marks a 5 percent increase over the 2011-2012 school year.

Vaughan said he believes Indian Springs has an advantage over traditional private schools when it comes to recruiting students.

“I think the biggest difference for us is that we are both a boarding school and a day school,” he said. “We are recruiting from across the whole country and across the world. We have the opportunity to recruit really first-rate students from everywhere.”

Vaughan pointed to available financial aid, including a new music scholarship, and curriculum and activities enhancement, including a new robotics program, as other attractions for prospective students.

“We have a significant amount of financial aid that is available,” he said. “(Sometimes) people automatically rule out private school because of the cost, without realizing there is more than a million dollars a year available to help support students.”

Students from 13 countries, including Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Sweden and Ghana, will be part of the Indian Springs student body next year. The school has also attracted students from 13 states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina.

Students interested in attending Indian Springs for the 2013-2014 school year should begin the admission process Sept. 1. The school will hold admission open houses Nov. 4, 2012 and April 7, 2013. For more information, visit ExperienceSprings.org.