State of the School 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1
MISSION STATEMENT The Baldwin School, an independent college preparatory school, develops talented girls into confident young women with vision, global understanding and the competency to make significant and enduring contributions to the world. The School nurtures our students’ passion for intellectual rigor in academics, creativity in the arts and competition in athletics, forming women capable of leading their generation while living balanced lives.
A message from the
HEAD of SCHOOL
Dear Baldwin community, I am excited to share our 2020-21 State of the School report, which provides an update on how Baldwin’s expert faculty are finding new and exciting ways to nurture our girls’ joy for school and love of learning whether they are in person or online. It also includes the latest about this year’s enrollment, recent fundraising efforts, our financial operations, and more. Of course, this is just a snapshot of how The Baldwin School continues to lead the way in all-girls education – and how, with your support, we have navigated the challenges of a global pandemic while supporting our students, teachers and mission throughout. Our 2019-20 financial results reflect another strong year of fundraising alongside strategic management and operational planning that has given our school its healthy financial picture. The following pages also share a glimpse at the amazing work of our faculty and staff to reopen school this September for in-person learning, while finding innovative ways to support those students who choose to learn remotely. Throughout the fall, it has been inspiring to see all the big and little ways that Baldwin’s teachers worked to give our girls the very best. It is a shining example of the dedication, determination and creativity that our faculty and staff bring to our Baldwin Bears every day. In the 2020-21 academic year, school looks and feels very different than ever before. We have reimagined many Baldwin long-standing traditions and community events: Ring Day was joyously celebrated on Middle Field this fall; online all-school assemblies; movie nights and trivia events replaced in-person gatherings; lunch is outside as often as possible; and our upcoming largest fundraiser of the year will be virtual. Nonetheless, Baldwin’s sense of sisterhood and community connectedness has remained present throughout. In short, Baldwin’s students and faculty are leading the way, in and out of class, even as our parents, alumnae and wider community continue to generously support all that we do. Thank you for such unwavering commitment to our mission and our girls. I look forward to seeing all we accomplish together during the rest of the school year. Go Bears!
Marisa Porges ’96, PhD Head of School
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
1
COMMUNITY
Baldwin’s feeling of sisterhood as well as our ability to deliver our stellar program either in person or online continues to draw people to our community, ensuring that we remain the school destination of choice for girls, locally and nationally. Our families' deep commitment to Baldwin is reflected in our strong student retention numbers. We were also thrilled to welcome dozens of new families for the extraordinary 2020-21 academic year and are pleased to report that, despite the virtual nature of this fall’s admission
at capacity with active waiting lists in all divisions
96% of eligible families re-enrolled for the 2020-21 school year
Returning Student Enrollment
262 233
New Student Enrollment 178 135
41
117
UPPER
137
MIDDLE
2020-2021
12 out of 14 grades are
LOWER
ENROLLMENT
season, we have waiting lists forming in multiple grades for the 2021-22 school year.
18
29
575 Total Students 2
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
COMMUNITY
Alongside our renowned research-based academic program acclaimed for its innovation and rigor, we are proud of how our Polar Bear spirit helps Baldwin’s girls discover their lifelong love of learning and ensure that school feels like their second home. Moments of joy throughout this year – from food trucks and cupcakes to celebrate the start of our 2020-21 school year to an all-school virtual interactive magic show before Winter Break – help us grow the feeling of sisterhood that our girls treasure throughout life.
THUS FAR IN 2020-2021
1
TO O N L I N E ST UD E N TS
BICYC L E R ID IN G WIN N IE
31
All-School zoom Assemblies
750
Microwave Popcorn Packets Sent
Balloon Structures
FOOD TRUCKS STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
3
The work to reimagine school
PLANNING FOR SCHOOL
amidst a global pandemic and ensure that we continue to give all of our students the best of Baldwin demanded a tremendous team effort and
required rethinking all aspects of school – including what our curriculum and programs look like, how we use our campus and technology and, most important, how we engage and support members of our community. With the innovation and resourcefulness of the Baldwin faculty and staff, we welcomed our girls back to campus this fall for in-person learning five days a week. To do so, Baldwin’s Pandemic Task Force developed a robust Health and Safety Plan that helped create a safe learning environment. We spread classrooms across all campus spaces, including in the Residence, Dining Room and Assembly Room, as well as outdoors. Inside every building and around every corner, the changes are evident – handwashing stations, ventilation fans, open windows and doors, safety signage, tents and outdoor furnishings, and more facilities upgrades that support in-person school programs. The transformation continued online too, where new approaches to teaching help keep all of our students engaged in learning and connected with their Baldwin sisters. Using webcams, headset microphones, digital whiteboards and countless other online tools and programs, we have brought together our teachers and students in both physical and virtual spaces.
To learn more about our plans for the 2020-21 school year,
35
540 4
handwashing stations installed
hours of faculty development time to start school
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
424,613 COVID
$
infrastructure funds raised
1,256
COVID-19
tests administered
This year, you might
THE 2020-21 YEAR
find students using digital whiteboard software to work in pairs on math problems; gathering in Zoom breakout rooms to discuss a novel with classmates at home; and students conducting physics experiments in a digital lab simulator. When we
could not be together on campus, Baldwin Wired 2.0 brought school to all of our students in their homes. Across the Philadelphia region and around the world, our girls continued their Baldwin educational experience in online classes, clubs, assemblies, lunch bunches and countless other activities. As our students adapted to this novel approach to school, we also saw faculty and staff take on new roles around school to support our Bears learning and physical and socialemotional wellbeing. From our newly designated Wellness Coordinator to the aides, Division-specific substitutes and non-teaching assistants who joined the community for our 2020-21 academic year, we are grateful to every member of Baldwin’s faculty and staff for their commitment to our girls, our mission and one another. The entire Baldwin community has made this most extraordinary school year possible. Our faculty and staff’s dedication and willingness to try new things, alongside the adaptability and resilience of our students on campus and at home, and the commitment of our families to support new protocols and procedures, is truly what has made school feel like Baldwin.
visit www.baldwinschool.org/about/2020-21-school-year
500
1,050
camp chairs purchased for outdoor lunch and classes
45
SOCIAL DISTANCING
OFFICES AND COMMON SPACES
FLOOR STICKERS INSTALLED
CONVERTED TO CLASSROOMS
38 flat screen monitors installed
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
5
D I V E R S I T Y, E Q U I T Y AND INCLUSION
We have reaffirmed our commitment to nurturing a healthy, safe and inclusive educational environment for everyone in our community. At the start of the 202021 school year, we welcomed Stephanie Allen to Baldwin’s Leadership Team as our new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Ms. Allen brings deep expertise and commitment to our School’s diversity initiatives, and has been partnering with Baldwin's DEI Committee, Division Directors, faculty and staff, students, parents and alums to continue to advance this important work for our community. Our DEI programs are intended to foster respectful engagement, open dialogue and thoughtful discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion and to proactively address the concerns and needs of students of color in our community, so we can best support their growth and development.
THUS FAR IN 2020-2021
675
Faculty and
HOURS OF
Staff Co-chairs on
PROFESSIONAL
DEI Committee
DEVELOPMENT
158,520
$
raised for DEI Initiatives Fund
HOURS OF STUDENTS AT DIVERSITY CONFERENCES
6
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
16
WORKSHOPS & EVENTS for parents, alumnae and faculty & staff
D I V E R S I T Y, E Q U I T Y AND INCLUSION
To support that work, in the 2020-21 school year we partnered with Lion’s Story, a renowned racial literacy training team, in a year of mandatory professional development for our faculty and staff. A few other new initiatives include a phased curriculum audit, lessons for our Lower Schoolers to build the language around DEI in an age-appropriate manner, educational workshops and open forums for older students to discuss candidly and bravely tough topics, and building other opportunities to empower our students and help ensure that every student feels safe, heard and has the best Baldwin experience. For the latest on our DEI programs and for access to special DEI-focused resources, please visit www.baldwinschool.org/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
7
DEVELOPMENT
Thanks to the continued generous support of our parents, alumnae, Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and a long list of Polar Bear cheerleaders, the 2019-20 school year proved to be another strong fundraising year – especially exceptional considering that the last quarter of the year left all of us in unchartered territory amid a global pandemic. In 2019-20, we raised $1.65 million for The Baldwin Fund and over $1.5 million toward our endowment. Your generosity helped ensure we can provide the very best support for our girls, now and in the future. Thank you for your continued support!
2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0 R E S U LT S
$
18,706,346
76
NN
ED G I
S FT
PL A
As of June 30, 2020
EITC/OSTC $
$
GAVE 213,107 $
775,175
288,687 CONSECUTIVE DONORS: 267
1,652,436
% PARTICIPATION
$
8
49 10+ 142
YEARS
76
20+ YEARS
30+ YEARS
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
100%
FACULTY & STAFF
100%
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
PARENTS
26%
ALUMNAE
14%
PARENTS GRANDPARENTS OF ALUMNAE
11%
2%
FINANCES
The 2019-20 school year was, once again, a strong year for the School financially and operationally. With the guidance of our dedicated Board of Trustees, we continue to manage our revenue and expenses expertly. This allowed us to introduce new programs for our students, continue supporting our employees with competitive salary and benefit packages and complete additional capital projects - including important facility projects around Baldwin’s campus that were accomplished while our students, faculty and staff were mandated to learn and teach remotely for the last quarter of the 2019-20 school year.
Financial Summary 2019-2020
Our tuition rates for the
Operating Revenue
2021-22 school year
———————————————–———————————— Net tuition
Gross tuition Financial aid
16,578,279
underscore this strong
19,662,359
financial picture and
$ $
- 3,084,080 $
the Board of Trustees’
Annual giving
$
1,399,060
Auxiliary activities
$
401,481
Endowment and investment income
$
944,630
Rental income
$
435,351
educational excellence
Summer programs
$
396,786
with the continually
Other revenue
$
386,394
rising costs of providing
Total Operating Revenue
$
20,541,981
our program. We remain
dedicated efforts to balance our mission of
committed to controlling
Operating Expenses
———————————————–————————————
tuition increases as
Compensation subtotal
$
12,257,220
Salaries
$
10,005,162
Benefits
$
2,252,058
reflected in the fact
Physical plant
$
1,645,731
that our average tuition
Instructional and student programming
$
1,011,247
$
476,415
increase from this school
Auxiliary activities General and administrative
$
1,702,237
Summer programs
$
220,540
Total Operating Expenses
$
17,313,390
Operating surplus
$
3,228,591
Capital projects and principal & interest payments
$
1,779,742
$
1,448,849
much as possible, as
year to next (1.2 percent) is below projected increases for the cost of living and less than last year’s average tuition increase.
Surplus net of capital projects and principal & interest payments
STATE OF THE SCHOOL 2020-21
9
www.baldwinschool.org 701 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 (610) 525-2700