Independent schools today operate in an increasingly complex environment where financial pressures, operational challenges, and emerging threats converge to create unprecedented risks that demand careful attention and proactive planning. Effectively identifying and managing these risks is essential for ensuring institutional sustainability, maintaining educational excellence, and honoring our commitment to the students and communities we serve.
The 2025 SAIS Financial Leaders Pulse Survey revealed how risk priorities vary across schools of different sizes, operating budgets, and endowment levels. While rising operational costs, staff retention and recruitment challenges, and deferred maintenance concerns are nearly universal, the degree of these risks differ based on school characteristics. In addition to this internal data, we looked at top risk lists from United Educators and Blackbaud for wider external perspectives, providing context around emerging threats.
Identifying and understanding risks is only the first step. Translating awareness into concrete action, establishing a structure, and creating response protocols must follow. The resources and templates provided are designed to help schools move from risk identification to risk mitigation. Whether you’re formalizing your risk management approach for the first time or enhancing existing processes, these resources offer practical frameworks that can be customized to fit your institution’s size, complexity, and specific challenges.
