DA 2030
Durham Academy’s Next Generation By Victoria Muradi, Director of Admissions
wonderful children and families who want to be here! The confluence of high admissions interest and low attrition has led to the most selective admission cycle in the school’s history and an all-time high enrollment of 1,200 students for 2016-2017. Eight years ago, when I started at DA, enrollment was 1,135 students. We have incrementally increased the student body by 65 students. This growth gave us security during the financial crisis, but was not the result of a specific plan to increase our population. Given that interest in DA is at an all-time high and that we are in the midst of a strategic plan, this seems an important time to plan for the years ahead. In September 2015, the Optimal School Size Task Force was formed to “Determine the optimal size of the school considering financial, cultural, pedagogical, facility and admissions factors.” The members of the task force were as follows: hen I meet Durham Academy • Jerry Benson, Director of Business alumni, their first question to me is often Services, current parent, parent of alumni about size. “So, how many are in a graduating • Teresa Engebretsen, Middle School class?” Their eyes widen and they cannot French Teacher, parent of alumni fathom a school of this size. “Wow, we only • Christian Hairston-Randleman, had 50 in our whole senior class!” Despite Preschool Director, current parent their history and love for DA, what alums • Lee Hark, Associate Head of School and often don’t know is how we got to be where Upper School Director, current parent we are today. • Leslie Holdsworth, Director of In fact, until just last year, I myself (the Development, current parent Admissions Director for the last eight years) • Edith Keene, Upper School Latin Teacher, didn’t quite understand how today’s Durham parent of alumna Academy evolved to its current configuration. • Kyle Lewis, Controller What I was intimately aware of is Durham • Anne Lloyd ’82, Chair of the Board of Academy’s demand. I face families at the Trustees, current parent, parent of alumnus grocery store, in the gym and even at the • Karen Lovelace, Lower School Teacher, playground when I’m with my own children. parent of alumna Parents ask about the chances of admission • Jon Meredith, Middle School Director, and recount stories of friends whose brilliant current parent children were placed on the waitlist. As a • Victoria Muradi, Director of Admissions mother, I feel their anxiety in a very real way. • Kemi Nonez, Director of Diversity and If only the school could accommodate all the Multicultural Affairs, Admissions EDITOR’S NOTE: Over the course of the 2015-2016 school year, nearly all faculty and staff members, as well as dozens of other Durham Academy constituents, have played roles in determining how the goals outlined in the 2015 Strategic Plan will take shape and transform Durham Academy over the next decade. A key goal of the 2015 Strategic Plan outlines what Durham Academy will accomplish by 2030 to “ensure that our enrollment and capital structure enable our ambitions.” The demand for the DA experience has never been greater, and the school is in an unprecedented position of strength. It is one of the most exciting times in the school’s history. What follows here is a glimpse of remarkable plans on the horizon and a preview of the school DA will be.
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Counselor, current parent • Lori Reade, Associate Director of Admissions, current parent • Carolyn Ronco, Lower School Director, parent of alumni • Michael Ulku-Steiner, Head of School, current parent • Jessica Whilden ’00, Preschool Teacher Our group first explored the larger demographic trends in the Triangle. According to the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Durham and its surrounding counties are expecting a 20 percent increase in job creation over the next 10 years. More families are moving to the Triangle. Next, we considered enrollment and admissions data over the last 25 years. Durham Academy has grown from 941 students in 1991 to 1,185 in the 2015-2016 school year. How did that happen when there was only one planned expansion: the building of the current Preschool/Lower School campus in 2002? In digging through the archives, we found that the school has a history of