What is an independent school?
Independent schools are a subset of private schools. Each school is led by a head of school and governed by a board of trustees whose role is to preserve the mission of the school, serve as the fiduciary, make long-term strategic plans for the school's future, and establish policies to guide the head of school. The head of school is the board's sole employee to whom they entrust the operations of the school.
Each independent school is a stand alone, nonprofit institution entirely funded through tuition, auxiliary income and donor gifts. They are free to build their own programs, choose their curriculum standards, and assess student learning in the way they see fit. Independent schools have very specific missions and admit students and families who will prosper within that mission. Some independent schools focus on neurodiverse students, others are faith-based, or serve gifted students. Some adhere to distinct educational philosophies like Montessori or Waldorf. Regardless of these differences, all are committed to programs characterized by freedom of inquiry.
AIMS schools are approved by the State of Michigan and accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States.
How can I find an independent school that is a good fit for our child and our family?
Start your research at least a year in advance. Most AIMS school admission applications are due in January with several important steps leading to that moment, to include visits for parents and students, interviews, testing, and financial aid applications.
Make a starkly honest assessment of your own values as a family, your hopes for your child, and your child as a learner. Look for schools whose missions match, or even better, extend that evaluation.
Find reliable resources. The schools provide information on their websites, but they'd like you to take the next step and visit. Do it. This is a moment for firsthand investigation, not for shaking the magic 8 ball of the internet. You are investing in the most important thing you can do for the most important person(s) in your life, a decision that could have a 14 year scope. Next, find current and past school parents and teachers, and leaders of other family support organizations that you know and trust--family therapists, religious leaders, pediatricians, tutors, etc. Be very circumspect about online reviews and crowd-sourcing sites like Niche and Private School Review. These are for profit endeavors not public services.
Visit the school--in organized admission events, and in everyday moments. You can tell a lot about a school community by seeing how kids and adults interact at a school play or a soccer game.
Consider multiple schools.