@jonah I certainly hear you. I know in the DFW area, with so many similar options (9+ Classical Christian Schools in Dallas County right now), most of us have started to benchmark against area public or charter schools. It is also the case, at least in Dallas, that Classical Christian schools cost anywhere from 25%-50% of the annual tuition of similar private institutions of other (or no) affiliation. That is a real difference in annual revenue.
Our approach to help balance revenue needs (essential if you are going to pay teachers competitive wages) and maintain an environment where families and students are known by teachers and administrators is to be a medium-sized school with small classrooms. We are ~450 students PreK-12 now, and growing to a cap of ~700, but our classrooms are 14 students or smaller and will remain that way as we expand.
But we are also in our 25th year, and just now getting to a more competitive benchmark for starting teacher pay. I feel for those schools who are still working towards being established, while trying to keep tuition low, while trying to attract and keep excellent faculty.