The Raleigh School is a cooperative community of children, parents, and teachers that fosters a love of learning in an atmosphere of challenge, inquiry, and respect. This mission provides clear direction and vision, but each year we meet new challenges and opportunities by articulating specific goals. For the 2025–2026 school year, the Board of Trustees—working in collaboration with the school community and guided by the Strategic Planning Committee—has identified priorities in five strategic areas to be targeted and assessed over the next 1–3 years.
Several of this year’s goals and action items are a direct result of feedback from our community in response to the Vision Statement developed by the Board, underscoring the shared commitment to ensuring that the school’s future remains aligned with our collective hopes and values.
Our Priotities
Dynamic Leadership
Transformative Programs and Teaching
Strategic Management of Enrollment, Facilities, Human and Financial Resources
Impactful Auxiliary School Programs
Community Development and Engagement
In the past year, the Board has worked collaboratively to define a compelling vision for the future of The Raleigh School. This vision serves as a roadmap, articulating the long-term aspirations that will guide the school’s development over the next decade. It reflects the timeless values that have always been at the heart of The Raleigh School while ensuring that the school continues to thrive, adapt, and serve as a model of excellence in an environment marked by significant local, regional, national, and global change. Ultimately, this vision represents the mission-aligned destination we are collectively striving for—a place where every child, parent, and educator finds belonging and the opportunity to grow and learn together, no matter the changes happening around us.
Fostering a community of belonging for young learners, engaged families, and progressive educators for a better future in a changing world.
Priority: Dynamic Leadership
Provide and cultivate thoughtful, successful, and mission-centered leadership.
Current Action Items:
- Use the reaccreditation processes to foster and support faculty leadership by encouraging reflection and goal-setting for future programmatic initiatives.
- Review and modify current faculty/staff retention and recruitment efforts to ensure The Raleigh School fosters a culture of belonging, retains its exceptional talent, and is able to attract employees who will help the school continue to deeply live its mission and abiding values.
- Ensure the board actively cultivates diversity and a feeling of belonging among its members, beginning with recruitment and onboarding and continuing through years of service.
Priority: Transformative Programs and Teaching
Strengthen and ensure that curriculum across age and grade levels is mission-aligned while developing a common language to educate parents, inform practice, and continue a culture of collegiality.
Current Action Items:
- Develop and share common language and practice for emergent curriculum/project-based learning and our social-emotional curriculum.
- Develop a clear, mission-aligned philosophy and implementation plan that defines the vision, scope, and sequence for technology education—emphasizing digital literacy, citizenship, and safety through developmentally appropriate, purposeful experiences across all age/grade levels.
- Create K–5 Curriculum Overviews to ensure programmatic consistency and continuity, and to clearly communicate the school’s educational approach to current and prospective parents.
Priority: Community Development and Engagement
Continue to cultivate an active and inclusive community, ensuring strong partnerships between educators, children, and parents.
Current Action Items:
- Continue the implementation plan for elements of the TRS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging framework.
- Develop a long-range fundraising plan that sets goals and priorities for philanthropic endeavors (Fund for TRS, larger gifts, tuition assistance, faculty/staff education, special events) and details the work of trustees and volunteers in fulfilling the plan.
- Re-envision parent engagement to deepen and diversify participation in ways that not only strengthen the school, but also enrich the lives of parents, children, and families—fostering a community where parents grow in their roles, build lasting connections, and leave as confident caregivers and devoted alumni.
Priority: Strategic Management of Enrollment, Facilities, Human and Financial Resources
Ensure that The Raleigh School successfully manages its resources in order to serve children and families for generations to come.
Current Action Items:
- Develop a sustainable financial strategy that focuses on key areas—tuition, philanthropy, expenses, long-term facility maintenance and enhancement, and endowment—and includes an oversight dashboard to monitor financial health. Review tuition assistance policies to ensure equity and alignment with the school’s mission.
- Review tuition assistance funding, policies, and practices to ensure equity, alignment with best practices, and consistency with the school’s mission and goals.
- Monitor local area development for opportunities and threats and ensure the school responds in ways that support/protect/enhance its mission and values now and in the future.
Priority: Impactful Auxiliary Programs
Ensure all current school programs best serve our children and families in a mission-appropriate way, encouraging the development of the whole child.
Current Action Items:
- Create an auxiliary programs (camps, clubs, aftercare, science olympiad) multi-year plan that incorporates a clear vision as well as programmatic and financial goals
To support the work being done to address these strategic priorities, please deeply engage in your parent committee work, community events, and give to the Fund for TRS in support of the work of teachers and children.