September 2025: Looking Back, Moving Forward

It’s officially Fall, and we are already at the mid-point of the first quarter of the semester. Summer is starting to seem like a long time ago, and pumpkins, hot apple cider, warm apple pie, and even the mountains of Christmas decorations already in the stores prepare us for the coming weeks full of holidays and family times. After summer vacations and breaks from school and other obligations, fall is the time to reconnect with daily routines that include family, friends, and even new school relationships.

We warmly welcome the members of the Class of 2029 and students who have transferred into other classes this year. We hope that they and their families are enjoying getting to know and feeling a part of the Archmere community. A little smaller in number than 9th grade classes in previous years, students in the 9th grade class are academically strong and have the skills and interests to excel in the classroom and in all extracurricular activities. Our graduating Class of 2026 will go down in history as being the largest class to ever graduate from Archmere with 143 students in the class. With their graduation, we anticipate a smaller student body in the next few years, which actually compares with the historical average size of the school. From 1983 to 2009, the average number of students enrolled each year was 481. Since 2010 to present, the average is 503. Currently, the student body numbers 500. 

In my 11th grade year at Archmere, enrollment increased from 321 to 372 students with the addition of girls at Archmere. This year marks the 50th anniversary of coeducation at the Academy, ending the 43-year-old tradition of a boys’ boarding and day school. The boarding program also ended in that same year, as there were so few boarding students at the time. The presence of girls immediately made a positive impact on the school culture. By the end of the decade, enrollment increased to 452 students, of whom 137, or 37 percent, were girls, and the first four-year co-educational Class of 1979 was graduated. During that same time the number of female staff increased, and, of course, the girls’ athletic program grew. In December 1978, the first musical ever staged at Archmere, Brigadoon, was presented by the students, and in that same year, Susan Gassler ‘78, was elected as the President of the National Honor Society - the first time a girl was elected to a leadership position at Archmere. Now, of course, the boy-girl ratio is pretty evenly split, actually leaning slightly in favor of girls. Girls have assumed the many leadership roles open to both boys and girls over the last 50 years.

With the start of each school year, there is excitement and anticipation in thinking about what the year will bring. So much of the school activity depends on the individual talents, skills, and passion that our students and their families have for joining a learning community that has as its mission to develop heart, mind, body, and spirit in our students so that they are prepared for college, career, and the journey of life. To accomplish this, we are grateful for the support of our parents and families, our faculty and staff, and our many other benefactors who understand what it takes to provide an Archmere experience. A large campus, the depth and breadth of the curriculum, the extent of student services provided, the small class sizes and personalized attention, all contribute to the excellence of the school experience, and all come at a price - one that is at least ten percent higher than our annual tuition. Therefore, we are so very grateful for the financial support so many provide annually when asked for participation in the Archmere Fund - our annual giving program, or with gifts and sponsorships to the variety of fundraising programs presented by the Mothers’ Guild, Fathers’ Club, and Alumni Association. We appreciate all the gifts, no matter the amount, as well as the volunteer hours to create these community-building events. Thanks to everyone who joins us once again this year to provide an amazing educational experience for our students!