2026 Small Schools Summit

Small schools face a choice: compete like larger institutions or compete as something entirely different. Too often, they choose the former, borrowing tactics from big schools and attempting to prove they offer just as much. The result? Marketing that positions distinctive schools as scaled-down versions of their competitors. This keynote offers a better strategy. Drawing from a decade as Chief Brand Officer at Mount Presbyterian School and four years leading brand strategy for independent schools, Trey Boden reveals why small schools' inherent advantages (intimacy, agility, personalization) are precisely what today's families value most. You'll explore why "doing more with less" weakens your position rather than strengthening it, how to identify the strategic advantages only your school can deliver, and what effective communication looks like when resources are limited but clarity is not. Walk away with practical approaches to make your size your greatest differentiator and a positioning strategy that competes on your terms, not theirs.

Small schools don’t have the luxury of inefficiency. Every program choice, every hire, every enrollment decision reverberates across the whole institution. The margin for error is thinner, but the opportunity for clarity is greater.

Serving as a senior leader or trustee of a small independent school is deeply rewarding – and undeniably demanding. This work, best done in strong partnership between board and leadership, has become more complex in an increasingly dynamic landscape, with the headwinds of growing budget deficits, declining enrollment, compounding operational expenses, and rising expectations from families.

In this engaging and practical keynote, Sadie Albertyn of Mission & Data invites participants into a shared understanding of what true sustainability requires. Drawing on Mission & Data’s national work with independent schools from coast to coast and from big to small, this session explores how schools move from viability to stability and ultimately toward long-term financial and organizational sustainability. Along the way, we’ll examine the core concepts, key indicators, common pitfalls, and data-informed strategies that help leaders align enrollment, staffing, program design, and financial modeling into a resilient institutional engine.

Grounded in both theory and real-world practice, this session pairs clear frameworks with practical examples tailored to the unique pressures facing small schools, equipping leaders with the language, perspective, and tools needed to make disciplined, mission-aligned decisions for the long term.

Governance, Growth & Moving Forward will focus on what effective governance looks like in small schools where there are fewer leaders, more hats to wear, and often fewer resources to deploy. Grounded in the Governance Health Index (GHI) framework, this session will explore how boards can sharpen strategic direction, strengthen collaborative leadership, and steward limited capacity in ways that fuel sustainable growth. Participants will leave with practical questions and clear next steps to help their boards govern with focus, resilience, and forward momentum.