Strategic Plan
Introduction
With great intention, our plan is anchored in all that we hold paramount—People, Purpose, Program, and Permanence—and draws out a set of strategic imperatives central to realizing our vision for Canterbury’s future. These imperatives serve as enduring points of focus as we anticipate the demands of tomorrow while delivering the most comprehensive educational experiences that our students need to live, learn, and lead with purpose today. Finally, the plan conceptualizes myriad opportunities from which our lofty strategic imperatives can produce real, tangible results.
People
To put it simply, there is nothing more critical to Canterbury’s success than the people learning, living, and working on our hilltop. Every member of our community animates our mission and inspires and preserves our School culture. Our students develop in impressive and transformational ways as young adults. And our faculty and staff mentor these very teenagers as teachers, advisors, coaches, dorm parents, and community members.
Purpose
Grounded by values and a deep sense of purpose, our students develop an understanding of the role they play in the lives of others. To that end, never in the history of our School has it been more important and impactful for the Canterbury community to lean in with even greater conviction to our mission. Therefore, we must continue to embrace our responsibility to enroll and graduate students who are not only prepared academically and socially but who are also prepared and inspired to be "moral leaders in a complex, secular world."
Program
An infrastructure of robust academic curricula, excellent athletic and artistic opportunities, and programming to support our students’ emotional well-being is essential to propelling our graduates on journeys that lead far beyond strong college preparation and placement to lives of great intellect, passion, and purpose.
Permanence
The work before us to secure Canterbury’s financial infrastructure is not only critical to safeguarding our School’s future but necessary to sustain our present Saints community. There is no strategic imperative more crucial to the long-term success of Canterbury. While the concept of permanence may be aspirational, this Strategic Plan—and the leadership of our School—will be guided by and held accountable to this core principle.
Conclusion
Firmly rooted in our conviction that we are the best small boarding school, this plan seeks to elevate and strengthen the transformational nature of the Canterbury experience. It trusts our unique ability to provide students with opportunities for powerful learning and personal growth. It is confident in the enduring importance of our institution and the higher purpose that it serves. Finally, it is a plan that assumes a constant process of re-examination and re-invigoration. It will leave Canterbury nimble, revitalized, and well-resourced in 2028.
And so we go forth with a commitment to these new ideas and opportunities and with a determined resolve to implement them. Indeed, we go forth empowered by People, Purpose, Program, and Permanence, excited for Canterbury to emerge as an even stronger and truer version of itself.
Questions?
If you have questions or would like to further discuss our exciting plans for the future of Canterbury School, please contact:
Rick Henderson P '25
Chief Advancement Officer
860-210-3804
rhenderson@cbury.org
