NAIS Research: Summary of Findings from The Sustainability of Small Independent Schools

Executive Summary

This capstone study by Dr. Scott Collins and Dr. Kristine Varney of Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, explores the current state of sustainability among small independent schools. 

The study focuses on three main topics to assess the state of sustainability: the landscape of small schools, the challenges small schools are facing, and the approaches small schools have taken to improve their sustainability. The researchers employed mixed methods to conduct this study. They retrieved quantitative data on enrollment trends from NAIS’s Data and Analysis for School Leadership (DASL) tool, conducted a survey of leaders of small schools to gain insight into these schools’ relationships with sustainability, and conducted interviews with heads of school at small schools on their approaches and strategies regarding sustainability. 

The study uses two important working definitions, sustainability and small independent schools. The researchers define sustainability as “having access to the resources, financial and otherwise, necessary to achieve the organization’s mission in both the short and long term.” The researchers define a small independent school as a school with 200 or fewer students.

While definitions and understanding of sustainability changed from school to school, most small schools struggle with declining enrollment and financial sustainability. However, many small schools found that the COVID-19 pandemic brought positive changes. Schools that took creative approaches, such as auxiliary revenue streams and external partnerships, had a stronger sense of sustainability.  

The researchers had three main research questions, which focused on the landscape of small schools, the challenges small schools are facing, and strategies that small schools found helpful in improving their sustainability:

1. What is the landscape of small schools in terms of types of schools, enrollment trends, and financial factors?
2. What are small schools’ most pressing challenges surrounding sustainability?
3. What approaches, activities, and strategies have worked for small schools to support sustainability?

Downloadable Content

• Summary of Findings from The Sustainability of Small Independent Schools by Dr. Scott Collins and Dr. Kristine Varney, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University (PDF)

Related Resources

• NAIS Resource Guide: Financial Sustainability
• NAIS Research: The State of K-12 Enrollment 2021-2022