Elsa High School in global lease tussle
Elsa High is bidding to renew its lease but faces rival challenges from around the world
At Elsa High School in Shau Kei Wan, classes are no bigger than 20. Some lessons are taught to only three pupils.
"Everybody pretty much knows each other," said 11-year-old Benjamin Fischer, a Form Six pupil born in Israel.
The Jewish school in Shau Kei Wan Road has only 73 students, an enviable situation in a city where land is so scarce. But it is also facing an uncertain future as its five-year lease is due to expire in 2014. The site is now open to public bids.
The private independent school may also face pressure from growing demands for international places, forcing it to expand its student population in line with the standard 24 pupils per class stipulated by the Education Bureau.
Elsa High School principal Rachel Friedmann said the school would be bidding for the premises and had "no plan B".
However, it is understood that the site has attracted interest from school operators worldwide and may face a bidding war.
Elsa High's sponsors, together with Kellett International School - which is currently sharing the campus until its new Kowloon Bay site is ready - spent HK$60 million on renovations in 2009.