Over three years, the Board of Trustees completed a comprehensive strategic plan which included the development of a new campus design. Two realities emerged from the process:

• The School’s strategic growth plans were not feasible within the current facilities footprint shared with First Presbyterian Church.
• These same facilities could not accommodate the innovative teaching methods of the School.

Gensler was engaged to conduct a comprehensive analysis of current and future space needs for the School. Parents, faculty and staff provided significant input. A new campus master plan was developed to address the critical needs and facilities issues.

The Make Room for the Future Capital Campaign addressed the following areas of need as identified in the master plan.

• Designed and built a 46,000 square foot building on Oakdale to house Early Childhood and Lower School students (PK3 through 5th grade)
• Fully renovated the Middle School (Grades 6th - 8th)
• Expanded and developed outdoor play areas for Early Childhood and Lower School students
• Added new learning, gallery, and performance spaces to support the Fine Arts programs
• Developed space for ancillary programs
• Increased the School’s reserve funds to ensure the new building will be maintained properly over time

The Make Room for the Future Capital Campaign was launched to fund the implementation of the master plan. $21,835,324 was raised through this campaign, surpassing the goal of $20 million. 

The new building construction and renovation was successfully implemented in two phases over several years. The first phase constructed Founder's Hall, the new building hosting Early Childhood and Lower School students. The second phase renovated and enlarged the Middle School to allow students in Grade 6th to 8th to fully engage in more collaborative and integrated learning.

Since the school’s founding, there have been three highly successful campaigns. The first campaign was to build the Middle School in Lancaster Center. Then, The Great Outdoors campaign raised $6.5 million to build the Outdoor Education Campus. It was completed in 2008. Make Room for the Future was the School's third capital campaign and was successfully completed in 2020 after raising $21.8 million.

The campaign co-chairs were Andi and Jonas Georgsson and Cathleen and Patrick Trask. They were supported by an outstanding campaign committee representing current parents, in addition to the Head of School Dr. Mark Carleton and Presbyterian School's Philanthropy Office led by Ashlea Taylor.

The land is currently owned by First Presbyterian Church. The School has entered into a long-term lease (95 years) with the Church on extremely favorable terms.

Thank you for your generous support of the Make Room for the Future Capital Campaign! To make a pledge payment, please click on the button titled "Make a Pledge Payment" on the Capital Campaign home page.

Long-term, appreciated securities (such as stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares) can be used as a gift and offer potential tax benefits to the donor. You can also double or even triple the amount of your donation if your employer provides matching gifts. Please contact Ashlea Taylor, Head of Philanthropy, at 713.620.6562 for additional details regarding procedures for making a transfer of securities and possible corporate matching gifts.

Funds raised from the Make Room for the Future Capital Campaign supported the construction of the new building and Middle School renovations. These were true capital dollars and used exclusively to implement this historic campus master plan.

The Annual Fund and special event funds (like from the Gala) are directed to the ongoing, annual operations of the School. We rely on our Annual Fund and Special Events to provide additional opportunities for our students and faculty as well as critical resources that are not covered by tuition. A capital campaign is truly a rare moment and only happens when we have a serious facility need or transformative opportunity. This campaign addressed our current space needs and ongoing facilities challenges.