Strategic Plan
Mission & Vision
Mission
The Derryfield School inspires bright, motivated young people to be their best and provides them with the skill and experiences needed to be valued, dynamic, confident, and purposeful members of any community.
Vision
Over the next decade, guided by our exceptional educators, we will strengthen Derryfield’s core commitments to academic excellence, human connection, and an inclusive community while embracing new possibilities in learning. Through the thoughtful integration of time-tested educational practices, innovative approaches, and emerging technologies, our faculty and staff will create dynamic learning experiences that nurture well-being, achievement, and belonging, preparing our students to approach challenges with confidence, engage difference with curiosity, and participate in the world with ethical clarity.
Strategic Commitments
A Community of Intellectual Growth and Character Development
We will challenge students to master essential knowledge and skills and to apply their learning to improve their communities. Through experiences that test assumptions and move beyond traditional academic boundaries, we will cultivate academic excellence, curiosity, and personal integrity. Our graduates will combine rigorous thinking with ethical reasoning to address complex challenges with confidence and purpose.
A Community with Strong and Resilient Financial Foundations
We will secure Derryfield’s long-term vitality by building innovative, sustainable financial models that continue to provide access while ensuring institutional strength. Through strategic resource development, creative revenue approaches, and careful stewardship, we will enhance our capacity to support exceptional education across generations. This integrated approach will engage our community in creating financial frameworks that sustain program (academics, athletics, arts) excellence, support our people, and adapt thoughtfully to future challenges.
A Community of Care, Compassion, and Courage
We will continue to build a joyful, inclusive community in which every individual feels they belong and is able to contribute their unique strengths. Through caring, supportive practices we will foster meaningful connections, emotional well-being, and an environment where people engage constructively and empathetically across differences. This approach will prepare our students to engage others with poise, compassion, and courage while strengthening Derryfield’s culture of mutual respect and excellence.
A Community of Flourishing, Collaborative, and Innovative Educators
We will attract, retain, and support faculty and staff by creating conditions where they can focus on building transformative learning relationships and designing engaging experiences. Through competitive compensation, intentional support for professional growth, and comprehensive well-being programs, we will sustain a dynamic community where all our educators thrive, collaborate, innovate, and advance the intellectual and personal growth of our students. This investment in our faculty and staff will ensure Derryfield continues to provide distinctive, forward-thinking education.
A Community with Dynamic and Sustainable Systems and Facilities
We will create a campus that adapts to the evolving needs of our students and strengthens our educational mission. Through strategic investment in flexible facilities, advanced technologies, and sustainable operations, we will develop efficient, effective, and resilient infrastructure. This infrastructure will empower our community to innovate, collaborate, and grow in ways that advance educational excellence while ensuring our campus thrives as a model of environmental and economic stewardship for generations to come.
Year One Initiatives
This initiative directly advances Derryfield’s commitment to A Community with Strong and Resilient Financial Foundations and supports all of the commitments and initiatives we have identified in the Strategic Plan. Building on the work of the Financial Sustainability Task Force (2020), we will develop a robust roadmap towards financial sustainability by reviewing current programs—including Academic, Athletics, and Arts—and operating expenses in order to find efficiencies and savings, growing auxiliary programs that generate net income, researching and exploring alternative tuition models that could be adapted for the Derryfield Community, identifying additional opportunities for environmental sustainability initiatives, and developing the foundation for a multi-year effort to generate significant new giving in order to sustain program excellence, support our people, and adapt thoughtfully to future challenges.
We will develop a comprehensive approach to peer leadership—spanning student, faculty, and staff programs. This approach will reinforce Derryfield’s commitments to fostering a Community of Trust and a Community of Care, Compassion, and Courage. For example, by embedding student leaders in all aspects of school life and expanding pathways for leadership among faculty and staff, this initiative cultivates trust through collaborative, peer-driven mentorship and role modeling, strengthening the relational foundations essential for risk-taking and growth. Simultaneously, it advances care and compassion by training peer leaders to champion inclusivity, emotional well-being, and constructive dialogue across differences. The initiative’s emphasis on expanding authentic, effective leadership skills and collaborative programming not only increases institutional capacity but also creates a self-sustaining framework where students, faculty, and staff practice courage and empathy in real-world contexts. This aligns with Derryfield’s strategic vision by ensuring that every interaction—whether in classrooms, teams, extracurriculars, or meetings—actively nurtures both the bonds of trust and the culture of belonging that define the school’s excellence.
This initiative directly advances Derryfield’s commitment to A Community with Dynamic and Sustainable Systems and Facilities through its methodical approach to technological resource management. By auditing existing digital assets to identify underutilized tools and consolidation opportunities, the initiative promotes fiscal responsibility while creating more streamlined, adaptable systems. Teaching faculty and staff to better leverage existing technologies reduces waste and maximizes return on current investments—a cornerstone of sustainable operations. Concurrently, this initiative strengthens A Community of Intellectual Growth and Character Development by strategically introducing AI tools that a dedicated AI team of faculty and staff has identified as valuable for all employees and students. This thoughtful approach ensures technology serves genuine educational needs rather than being adopted for its own sake. By equipping educators with both optimized existing tools and carefully selected AI innovations, the school creates an environment where students can experience 21st-century learning methods.
We will establish a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) initiative as a mechanism to advance Derryfield’s dual commitments to educational excellence and professional growth. By establishing collaborative structures focused on embedding the Portrait of a Graduate throughout school operations as well as other initiatives, the PLC model directly nurtures A Community of Flourishing, Collaborative, and Innovative Educators through intentional systems that position faculty and staff as co-creators of educational practice. The PLC model provides structured opportunities for professional growth, fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration, and creates space for innovation—all while honoring educator expertise and supporting their well-being through meaningful collegial relationships. Simultaneously, this collaborative approach directly strengthens A Community of Intellectual Growth and Character Development by ensuring that student learning experiences are intentionally designed, consistently aligned with 21st century skills, and reflective of real-world challenges. As faculty and staff work together to reimagine assessments, advisory programs, and other educational touchpoints, they create rich opportunities for students to develop both rigorous thinking and ethical reasoning skills. This intentional alignment between professional practice and student outcomes establishes a sustainable framework where educator flourishing and student development mutually reinforce one another, creating a distinctive educational environment responsive to the demands of a rapidly changing world.
