Sanford’s new homegrown Head of School, Jaime Morgan, will focus on student enrollment, capital campaign

Jaime Morgan is getting ready to add another hat to her Sanford collection.

Morgan, the new head of Sanford School, hopes to build on the success of her predecessor by growing enrollment and completing a $10.5 million capital campaign.

Morgan, a Sanford 2002 alumna and Sanford parent, has been an employee of the school since 2013, where she served as associate head of school and also led admissions, development, and strategic planning.

“This is a community that I love,” she said. “I went to school here, and I’ll be the first alum to serve in this role, so I already know very much the heart and the core of Sanford, but seeing the school through a new lens is always exciting, and it brings a freshness as well.”

The preK-12 college-prep private in Hockessin is about $5 million into the campaign, with a goal of $4 million for the school’s endowment and $6.5 million for capital improvements, namely improvements and upgrades to existing buildings and a two-story building addition to the Lower School. 

“My current vision right now is to really maintain the great momentum that Sanford has and grow on what we’ve built,” Morgan said. “We’re in the middle of a capital campaign, and our enrollment has been growing the last few years, and Sanford’s in a really great place, and so continuing that forward momentum is definitely top priority.”

As of Tuesday, Sanford raised $1.7 million of the $4 million towards endowment and $3.3 million of the $6.5 million for capital projects. 

Sanford’s 2024-2025 tuition starts at $10,150 for Preschool or PreK (Half Day) and increases to  $25,000 for Grades 2-4 and $32,100 for Grades 9-12. The school does offer merit-based scholarships. 

Morgan was also in charge of Sanford’s auxiliary programs, like extended day and summer programs.

“I came in 12 years ago as the director of admissions, so I really just did some revamping of our admission process, created some efficiencies, and then we’ve seen a lot of enrollment growth in that time,” she said.

During the past five years, Sanford’s Lower School has grown about 56%.

“I would say that would be the biggest accomplishment on the enrollment side, and then on the development side, we’ve really professionalized the office, we’ve added additional fundraising talent, and have really worked to create a larger donor pool,” Morgan said. 

She takes over as head of school July 1.

Sanford’s search

In October of 2024, the Head of School Committee and the Board of Trustees partnered with Bob Henderson from RG175, a leading firm in the United States for head of school searches, to guide it through the process of identifying the ideal successor to Mark Anderson, who is leaving to be head of school at The Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island.

Through comprehensive interviews and surveys with faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and other community members, RG175 identified key characteristics for Sanford’s next Head of School.

Their findings shaped a clear vision of the qualities Sanford sought in the next head of school: someone who values Sanford’s tight-knit community, possesses a forward-thinking strategic vision, and has the expertise to uphold and advance the school’s strategic pillars.

Those pillars are promoting educational excellence, furthering the school’s financial health, developing an inclusive culture, and enriching Sanford’s future through fundraising and facility improvements.

Morgan graduated from Boston College in 2006 with a psychology degree and earned her M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018.

“Jaime Morgan embodies the values, vision, and leadership that make her the ideal choice as Sanford’s next Head of School,” said Trustee and fellow alum Kenny Mitchel in a news release. “Having worked closely with Jaime as an alum, donor, and board member, I have seen firsthand her dedication, talent, and deep understanding of what makes Sanford exceptional, and I am confident she will guide the school to an even brighter future.”

The total enrollment at Sanford is 680 students, and they come from more than 50 zip codes from four states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Morgan said some challenges are predictable and have to be taken as they come. 

“I think the pandemic is a great example of that,” she said, “but I think any transition comes with challenges.”

For many of them, Anderson, her predecessor, is all they’ve ever known at Sanford. 

“While I’m certainly a familiar face and know this community well, change can be hard, so I think helping navigate that transition is definitely the challenge that’s foremost on my mind,” she said. 

Morgan praised Anderson and what he’s built at Sanford, especially the senior leadership team.

“Even though this is a big change for our community, this is the right team to take us through that for sure,” she said.