Editor’s note: A previous version of this article reported that fundraising efforts had raised $20 million, based on reporting from another news outlet. This article has been corrected with a figure provided by Oldfields School: $4.5 million.
After a rocky year, including an announced closure and a lawsuit against administrators, Oldfields School is entering a new chapter with a five-year strategic plan and a financial model to stay open for future generations.
“After facing potential closure in 2023, Oldfields received an outpouring of support from alumnae, parents, students and community members allowing the School to stay open,” read the press release announcing the new plan. “With the help of generous donations and pledges, the School has established a sustainable financial model to enable current and future generations of girls to benefit from an Oldfields education.”
“We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter for Oldfields School,” said Ansley Smithwick, Head of School. “The Oldfields community came together in an extraordinary way to secure the future of this school and its mission to educate and empower young women. With the support of our community, Oldfields will continue shaping future generations of female leaders for years to come.”
In April 2023, the school announced it would close at the end of the 2022-2023 school year because of the “unique challenges” to the school’s financial stability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other obstacles. The school would be closed, and the property was to be sold.
Parents sued Oldfields School officials and requested an injunction that would keep the school open. The lawsuit alleged that the board of trustees and interim head of school failed to maintain the school, and that the school hadn’t experienced significant debt. The suit also claimed school officials knew as far back as October 2022 that they wanted to close the school.
Fundraising efforts have raised $4.5 million, an Oldfields School official told Baltimore Fishbowl on Tuesday.
The lawsuit was settled in July 2023. As part of the settlement, a new board took over in September 2023. Oldfields School announced they will remain open for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond as an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 8 – 12.
Oldfields School was established in 1867 by Anna Austen McCulloch, who set the tone for the school’s “sense of family, mission, philosophy, and a culture of kindness,” according to the school’s website.
The school grew over the years into a middle and high school for girls that was also a boarding school attended by students from across the United States and around the world. The school has day student, 5-day and 7-day boarding options.
