Tower School

What Tower School does

Tower School is an independent day school founded in 1912 by Adeline Tower, located on a 14-acre campus at 75 West Shore Drive in Marblehead, Massachusetts, north of Boston. The school serves approximately 300 students spanning Beginners (age 3) through Grade 8, organized into Lower School (Beginners–Grade 4) under Head of Lower School Liz Buchan and Middle School (Grades 5–8) under Head of Middle School Murielle StPaul. Core academic offerings cover language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, Spanish, arts, and physical education, with hands-on learning supported by three science labs, a greenhouse, teaching gardens, a woodworking studio, music and visual arts studios, a performing arts center, gymnasium, swimming pool, sustainable turf field, and access to Salem Harbor for coastal studies. Secondary School Counseling, led by Mary Dailey, manages the Grade 8 transition into selective boarding and day secondary schools (Governor's Academy, Brooks School, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter, and others).

Revenue is generated through tuition for the Pre-K–Grade 8 program, supplemented by two fee-based auxiliary programs: Summer at Tower day camp (serving children age 2 years 9 months through entering Grade 9 across four age-segmented tracks plus a Leaders-in-Training program; ACA accredited) and Club T.E.D., the Tower Extended Day program. Tuition pricing is not publicly disclosed; financial-aid availability is referenced through an "Affording Tower" page. A Director of Development (Jessie Achterhof) and named capital-gift vehicles — including the Stepping Forward Campaign, Williamson Innovative Science Education (WISE) Fund, and McCann Chair for Teaching Excellence — channel philanthropic revenue alongside tuition. Distribution is direct-to-family, executed via two admissions directors split by division (Reagan Kenwell for Beginners–Grade 4, Mary Dailey for Grades 5–8) and supported by a Calendly-scheduled tour pipeline, open houses, and Founders' Blog content marketing.

The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees (current Chair Ruth du Moulin) and operates as a Massachusetts-incorporated nonprofit, affiliated with the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE). Day-to-day leadership rests with Todd Eveleth, appointed July 2023 as the school's 12th Head of School, arriving from The Nantucket New School. Other C-suite-adjacent executives include Director of Finance & Operations Michael Buckley, Director of Marketing & Communications Stephanie Curtis, Director of Information Support Services Kelly Klocker, and Director of Health Services Paula Cardarelli. Technology stack is limited to a Finalsite website platform for communications and web presence; no proprietary AI, APIs, or external integrations are disclosed.

Name

Tower School

Legal name

Tower School

Website

https://towerschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tower School is a 110-year-old independent day school in Marblehead, Massachusetts, serving approximately 300 students from Pre-K through Grade 8 on a 14-acre campus. Revenue derives from tuition plus fee-based auxiliary programs including Summer at Tower day camp and Club T.E.D. extended-day care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent K-8 Day School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB)

Keywords

• Independent day school
• Private K-8 education
• Early childhood education
• Middle school education
• STEAM curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Marblehead

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue stream from student tuition for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 education. School offers extended day program (Club T.E.D.) and summer camp (Summer at Tower) as auxiliary programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tower School is an independent nonprofit day school in Marblehead, Massachusetts, delivering Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 education to approximately 300 students on a 14-acre campus. The school operates a single integrated academic program across Lower School (Beginners–Grade 4) and Middle School (Grades 5–8), augmented by auxiliary paid programs: the Summer at Tower day camp and the Club T.E.D. before- and after-school extended day program.

Product overview

Tower School is an independent day school offering a unified educational program spanning early childhood (Beginners, age 3) through eighth grade. The institution operates as a single integrated school with distinct divisions: Lower School (Beginners through Grade 4) and Middle School (Grades 5-8). Auxiliary programs include Summer at Tower Camp and Club T.E.D. extended day care. The curriculum emphasizes STEAM education through dedicated science labs, greenhouse facilities, and a design/innovation studio, complemented by comprehensive arts (visual arts, music, drama, woodworking) and athletics programs. A secondary school counseling service supports the transition to high school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Summer at Tower: Summer camp program operated by Tower School for children ages 2 years, 9 months through entering grade 9, with programs including Discoverers, Explorers, Adventurers, Pathfinders, and Leaders-in-Training.
• Club T.E.D.

Products and services

• Tower School Day School (Beginners through Grade 8) Core integrated day school program for children ages 3 through 14, spanning Beginners, Pre-Kindergarten, Lower School (Kindergarten–Grade 4), and Middle School (Grades 5–8). Curriculum covers language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, Spanish world language, visual and performing arts, physical education, woodworking, sustainability, and interscholastic athletics for grades 6–8, with secondary school counseling for grade 8 families.
• Summer at Tower Day Camp ACA-accredited summer day camp open to Tower students and the broader public, with themed tracks (Discoverers, Explorers, Adventurers, Pathfinders, Leaders-in-Training) covering swimming, arts, athletics, and outdoor learning.
• Club T.E.D. (Tower Extended Day) Extended day program operating before and after regular school hours, providing homework support, enrichment activities, and social-emotional development programming for enrolled students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tower graduates accepted to top secondary schools including Governor's Academy, Brooks School, Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, and 50+ other secondary schools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AISNE (Association of Independent Schools in New England)coreOthersTower School is affiliated with AISNE, a professional organization for independent schools in New England. School participates in AISNE events including DEI conferences and professional development programs. Faculty and administrators attend AISNE conferences for diversity, equity, and inclusion training and leadership development.
• Landmark SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty member Elaina Louisos-Kramer attended Landmark School's summer institute course on developing social communication skills for children with language-based learning disabilities. Knowledge and techniques shared with Tower faculty for implementation.
• Kripalu Center for Yoga and HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty member Rachel Perrella attended Kripalu's 'Breathe With Tigers' workshop for mindfulness and meditation training, bringing back techniques to implement with students.
• Yestermorrow Design/Build StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodworking teacher Chris Field attended Yestermorrow in Vermont to learn wood bending techniques and current woodshop standards, enhancing curriculum.
• Reforest the TropicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to incorporate carbon offsetting curriculum through Costa Rican rainforest. Science teacher Colleen Parenteau investigated and integrated RTT lessons into grades 4-6 science curriculum covering electricity, ecosystems, and climate topics.
• Phillips Exeter Academy (Harkness Method)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiddle school math curriculum enhanced through integration of Phillips Exeter math curriculum Harkness-style problem sets into 8th grade weekly assignments for more frequent feedback and discussion.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shore Country Day School: Independent day school in Beverly, MA serving Pre-K through Grade 9 on the North Shore. Closest geographic and grade-range peer to Tower, drawing from overlapping Marblehead/North Shore families with comparable tuition positioning and feeder-school outcomes.
• Belmont Day School: Pre-K through Grade 8 independent day school in Belmont, MA with a comparable project-based curriculum, arts integration, and sustainability focus. Operates at similar scale (~300 students) and competes for Greater Boston families seeking child-centered progressive education.
• The Fenn School: Independent day school in Concord, MA serving grades 4–9 with a longstanding reputation for preparing boys for elite secondary schools. Comparable in feeder-school positioning (Brooks, Governor's, Middlesex), curriculum emphasis on character, and tuition scale to Tower.
• Dexter Southfield: Independent day school in South Hamilton, MA serving Pre-K through Grade 12 on a large suburban campus. Direct North Shore geographic competitor with similar facilities, athletics, and secondary school placement outcomes.
• Cape Cod Academy: Independent day school in Osterville, MA serving Pre-K through Grade 12. Comparable Massachusetts coastal independent school at similar scale, with project-based programs and similar tuition/financial-aid model.
• Meadowbrook School: Independent day school in Weston, MA serving Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8. Comparable progressive pedagogy, similar enrollment scale, and overlapping feeder-school outcomes in the Boston independent school market.
• The Nantucket New School: Independent day school on Nantucket, MA serving Pre-K through Grade 8. Direct previous employer of Tower's current Head of School and near-identical product model (small coastal independent day school); useful proxy for understanding the operating playbook the new Tower head is bringing.

Broad incumbents

• Buckingham Browne & Nichols: Large, well-established independent day school in Cambridge, MA serving Pre-K through Grade 9. Larger-scale incumbent in the same product category with comparable project-based pedagogy and elite feeder outcomes; competes for the same Greater Boston family pool.

Emerging players

• Acera School: Independent STEAM-focused school in Winchester, MA serving gifted and advanced learners K–8. Emerges as a niche competitor differentiated by STEM emphasis; competes for the same Greater Boston families seeking progressive, project-based learning.
• Waldorf School of Lexington: Independent Waldorf-method school in Lexington, MA serving early childhood through Grade 12. Niche alternative-pedagogy competitor in the same geography, partially overlapping the same family segment seeking non-traditional independent education.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TowerSchoolMarblehead
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tower-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/towerschoolmarblehead
• Xx.com/TowerSchoolMhd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tower School