Head of School Update by Michael Dewey
October 2023
"On October 17 at 6:30 p.m., we held a “first-of-its-kind” on-campus presentation entitled Envisioning Our Future: Building upon a Firm Foundation. This was an opportunity for our school community to reflect upon the past faithfulness of God and look forward to the vision he has given us for the future. In case you missed this event, here are a few of the highlights.
Celebrating our past…
- In 2021-2022 (our first year), we started the school year with 36 students in grades 9-10. This was actually much more than expected, given that we didn’t start receiving applications until February of 2021 and didn’t have a building.
- In 2022-2023, we saw our school more than double (141% growth), with 87 students enrolled in grade 9-11 at the start of the school year. Our initial projection was to have only 80 students.
- In 2023-2024, we have grown by 73.5%, starting the year with 151 students in grades 9-12. We initially projected only 145 students.
In just our third year as a school…
- We offer 78 different courses, 9 separate AP classes, 7 separate honors classes, and 20 different electives.
- We added a full-time athletic director and now have 10 athletic teams competing in 9 separate sports.
- We added a part-time activities director and now have 11 different student-led clubs, including student government.
- We opened a new Learning Center, now have separate math and writing resource teachers, and added a certified school counselor.
- We currently have an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio, with an average class size of 12 students. We remain committed to maintaining a low ratio to facilitate our pedagogical emphasis on classroom discussion.
- We have awarded $1,000,000 in variable tuition with 51% of our current families receiving financial assistance. This year’s average tuition rate is $13,433, well below the full tuition rate of $17,500 and significantly below the $20,500 actual cost to educate each student.
Envisioning our future…
- In 2024-2025, we are projecting a student enrollment of 181 students in grades 9-12.
- In 2025-2026, we are projecting a student enrollment of 205 students in grades 9-12.
- In 2026-2027, we are projecting a student enrollment of 216 students in grades 9-12, which is essentially the maximum student capacity for our school.
- We are not exploring any capital campaigns involving the construction of additional buildings on campus. However, we are exploring various enhancements to comfortably accommodate a student population of 200. This includes potentially adding stairwells down the backside of the building to relieve congestion in the second-floor lounge and front stairwells. While adding a second-floor hallway along the backside of the building is less likely, we are exploring the possibility.
- We have also explored the costs of installing a wood floor in the gymnasium and an artificial turf soccer/lacrosse field on the north side of the building.
- We will continue to add additional AP and elective offerings with an emphasis on STEAM focused courses (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics).
- We will offer dual-enrollment classes on campus, allowing our students to receive college credit from an accredited university.
- We will have internship opportunities allowing students to earn credit with off-site community business partners.
Accreditation / College Acceptances & Scholarships
- In addition to all the above, we provided parents with an accreditation update. After being approved as an MSA-CESS (Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools) accreditation candidate school this past spring, we anticipate hosting our on-site accreditation visit this winter with full accreditation being granted in the spring, prior to our first graduating class.
- As an official MSA-CESS candidate school, our senior students have already begun receiving college acceptances and scholarship offers.
Truly, we have come a long way in just a few years. God is faithful!"