As we approach our centennial in the 2026–27 school year, we celebrate the richness of our Benedictine founding and affirm the transformative power of a Portsmouth Abbey School education for the twenty-first century. Our mission of helping students grow in knowledge and grace is timeless but must be realized in new ways for each generation.
The Portsmouth Abbey School Strategic Plan seeks to ensure that our “school of the Lord’s service” will be true to its Catholic roots and flourish well into the next century.
Strategic goal 1
Recruit, retain and cultivate mission-aligned and mission-enthusiastic faculty and staff.
As a Catholic boarding school committed to helping students grow in knowledge and grace, we have a special responsibility for cultivating academic excellence and embodying the fullness of the Catholic faith to our students through our faculty. Faculty, administrators, coaches and staff serve as role models. We pledge ourselves to the ongoing cultivation of a faculty that strives to grow in knowledge and grace – pursuing excellence in teaching, growth in their profession and their understanding of Benedictine education, fruitful collaboration with their colleagues, care for the institution, and overriding concern for the welfare of their students. To that end, we shall create mission-driven Characteristics of Professional Excellence (CPE) to serve as an aspirational set of standards for teachers as well as a critical part of the hiring process, ensure professional development and annual goals to support CPE, monitor faculty culture and the faculty evaluation process for growth, health and enthusiasm.
Strategic goal 2
Review the academic, spiritual, and student life programs to ensure we provide an integral, mission-driven experience that resonates with our students.
We recognize that mission alignment and student experience ultimately drive long-term enrollment demand. Hence, we seek to ensure that the core principles of Benedictine education are integrated into all aspects of school life in ways that spark student enthusiasm and create community. To that end, we will formulate an Academic Strategic Plan, focusing not just on the program and pedagogy but also maximizing learning and student well-being. We will review and enhance the Spiritual Life Program to ensure student growth in knowledge and grace. We will review and enhance the Athletic Program, the Advisory program and the College Placement process.
Strategic goal 3
Build strong networks of philanthropic support.
A strong culture of giving springs from our mission and directly supports Portsmouth Abbey students. As we approach our 100th anniversary, we aim to build upon our established networks and cultivate new donors whose experience with the school will enrich them and whose gifts will directly improve the experience and outcomes of the next generation of Portsmouth Abbey students. To that end, we will continue cultivating strong relationships with current supporters, expanding that network, and undertaking all planning necessary for a fruitful Centennial Capital Campaign.
Strategic goal 4
Meet enrollment targets with mission-aligned students and families.
To achieve our mission and financial goals, we aim to make our school and work more widely known to those who seek us but need to learn that we exist. To that end, we will develop, fund and implement an institution-wide communication and marketing plan that consistently conveys the School’s mission, areas of excellence and differentiators. We will seek to increase recruitment in national and international Catholic markets. We plan to reimagine the Summer Program to fuel mission-driven student recruitment with a target date of Summer 2024. And we will continue to monitor student and parent enthusiasm for the school and its efforts.
Strategic goal 5
Maintain a Board focus on strategic concerns and retaining/building a high-functioning Board of Directors.
Great boards act strategically and continuously recruit talented board members. They also engage in an ongoing process of self-improvement and renewal. To that end, we will continue to formulate board agendas with an eye toward mission and strategic goals, continue our recruitment of mission-aligned board members from diverse backgrounds, renew our focus on long-term plant facilities, continue oversight of the strategic financial plan, continue our annual board self-evaluations, and re-commit ourselves to ongoing board professional development.