Beyond The Threshold FAQs

The recent construction of the Upper School STEM & Humanities Center (including Smith Hall), K Family Outdoor Commons and the Middle School Arts & World Languages Center represents the first half of the most ambitious campaign ever undertaken by Durham Academy. Two construction phases remain to complete the Middle School transformation — the Gateway Center and a new gymnasium and Extended Day spaces — and they will be funded entirely by philanthropic giving.

We realized that Durham Academy had reached the limits of what was possible in its Middle and Upper School spaces. The learning environments did not allow for innovative programming and agile learning, which are essential to provide the 21st century skills students need to navigate an ever-changing future. 

In our 2015 Strategic Plan, we committed to serve students more effectively than ever before. The need for the Upper School STEM & Humanities Center was so urgent that in April 2016 the Board of Trustees approved a construction and financing plan that allowed the school to start building ahead of a campaign. This financing plan combines leveraging debt with philanthropic giving and is the same approach used in 2000 to build the Preschool and Lower School. There is $23 million in bond financing committed for Beyond the Threshold.

We are invigorating our entire program by enhancing spaces for math, science, social sciences, humanities, arts and athletics to deliver an unmatched educational experience. DA has funded half of the cost of these ambitious projects and is relying on donor support to fund the other half. Our students and teachers deserve a collective effort to meet these pressing needs.

From 2018–2021, Durham Academy received 113 commitments in support of campus transformations, totaling $18,312,406 toward our $22,000,000 capital projects goal. We have also raised $5,244,472 million toward our $5,500,000 DA Fund goal.

A public phase of the campaign will begin in fall 2022, and we look forward to every member of our community joining in the effort. It is the largest, most ambitious campaign ever undertaken by the school.

Master planning for the comprehensive Middle School renovation began in February 2017 with a series of workshops to include input from faculty, staff, parents and students. Master planning concluded in July 2017, with the final plan approved by the Board of Trustees in October 2017. Phases 3 through 5 of Beyond the Threshold involve a multiyear, campus-wide renovation of the Middle School.

Middle School construction began in summer 2019, with phases staged over five years. Each construction segment was prioritized by urgency, complexity and cost. The first phase of the Middle School campus renovation — the Arts & World Languages Center — was completed in Spring 2021, and the final phase is scheduled for completion in 2025.

Learn more about Middle School projects here.

The Middle School is the first home Durham Academy ever constructed from the ground up. It represents an emotional and historical connection for the school. The Academy Road campus housed all DA students (grades pre-k through 10) from 1966 to 1973, when the Upper School was completed on Ridge Road. It continued to house the Preschool, Lower School and Middle School until 2002, when the current Preschool/Lower School was built on Ridge Road. Over time, the campus has been retrofitted to serve its changing student population. 

One of the issues that generated a significant amount of research and discussion during the 2015 strategic planning process was whether DA should unite its divisions on the Ridge Road campus. Ultimately, several factors contributed to the decision to keep the Middle School on Academy Road.

Developmentally, there are advantages to being able to focus on a very specific age group at a very transitional time in children's lives — academically, socially, emotionally and physically. 

Programmatically, the Middle School's location as its own oasis allows faculty to structure the entire school day around its age group with a great deal of flexibility.

Socially, students are able to enjoy freedom from the scrutiny of an older peer group and the security of an environment where they can grow up, gain confidence, take risks and lead.

There is no parcel of land that would rival the current Middle School’s 22 expansive acres, with an open campus that instills students with a sense of freedom and an outdoor learning environment that allows them to use their campus as a classroom.

The comprehensive renovation as part of Beyond the Threshold will reimagine Academy Road to support the best student experience imaginable, incorporating innovative ideas and best practices; creating a campus by design, not by default.