Giving in Support of the Mission of Arbor School

Accessibility through modest cost is an essential value of Arbor School. A belief in resourcefulness, simplicity, and restraint has guided the school in stewarding resources -- human, fiscal, and natural -- with great care. Tuition is set to fully fund annual operating costs, covering salaries, classroom supplies, and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds.  Arbor has no development office and the associated costs, and no annual fund and the associated annual requests for giving. What we do have are generous families who support us with their time and resources as they are moved to.

With this strong financial foundation in place, Arbor is able to direct the generosity of the community through donations, annual giving, and funds raised by the Arbor Parent Teacher organization toward programs and materials that directly benefit current and future students and families: professional development for teachers; parent-education events for current families; visiting authors and experts; technology for classrooms; financial aid; and capital improvements. Your giving will support us in fulfilling our mission of cultivating intellect, character, and creativity in a small school setting.

Designate Your Gift

Area of Greatest Need

Growing Arbor’s undesignated fund is essential to meeting the on-going needs of our campus and community.  Potential areas of need may include: upgrading of facilities, such as improvements to the Arena as an indoor play space; visiting artists, such as musicians and authors; professional development for teachers; and equipment to enhance the classroom experience, such as projectors and Chromebooks on the tech side, and musical instruments and upgrades to the letter press on the creative side. Your contribution to this fund enables the tending of these needs, while providing an opportunity to meet our enrichment goals and face the inevitable and unpredictable challenges that come our way. 

Financial Aid

From its founding, Arbor has aimed to demonstrate what is possible with modest resources and accessibility through modest cost continues to be an essential value of the school. A firm belief in resourcefulness, simplicity, and restraint guides us in stewarding our resources – human, fiscal, or natural – with great care. We have been willing to live with fewer things, and fewer new things, so as to maximize the hearts and hands available to children. “Simplicity is good for the soul.” Kit Hawkins, The Idea of Arbor School, p122 But we know that even a modest tuition payment can serve as a barrier for some families. We work to lower that barrier by offering financial aid from two sources: the Arbor Parent Teacher association’s annual fundraising, and from the annual proceeds from a bequest made to the school some years ago by Elizabeth Gray.

Arbor Center for Teaching Fellowship 

While Arbor School and the Arbor Center for Teaching (ACT) are but small entities in the larger educational scene, it has always been our aim to work at being part of what can be done to turn theory into practice, problem into solution, and need into possibility on behalf of students. For over 20 years, the ACT has worked to build community partnerships and to collaborate in training and supporting Teacher Residents throughout their school placements and first years of employment. All Arbor Teacher Residents spend two years co-teaching full time in classrooms with experienced mentors, and receive support for finding a job, followed by one-on-one mentorship from an ACT instructional coach after graduation. Our central focus on mentorship throughout the two-year MAT and into the first years of teaching makes us particularly well suited to provide the emotional and professional support needed for new teachers to remain in the teaching field.

In support of our mission, the ACT offers several Fellowship positions for Teacher Resident candidates from backgrounds currently underrepresented in the teacher corps who demonstrate a commitment to promoting a sense of academic and social belonging for all students. It is also crucial that these teachers connect their own cultural backgrounds to students’ lived experiences while building bridges across perceived differences. Beyond the stipend and housing, course books, and mentorship offered to all Teacher Residents, those who are awarded an ACT Fellowship will receive financial aid equaling half the cost of tuition of the MAT program at Pacific University, as well as support and mentorship during and after completing the program.