The Orme School in Mayer, a grades 8-12 ranch school, announced on its website that its Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision to close the school’s doors.
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to all who have reached out with ideas, support and donations,” the website announcement states. “Since our initial announcement about the possibility of the school closing, we have raised $47,000. This outpouring of support has been a tremendous help in ensuring that we can conclude this school year successfully and provide as normal an experience as possible for our students.”
School President Kristin Durow said Orme officials had been fundraising for a year and a half, and made the decision to close the school’s doors officially at the end of late January, to give its staff enough time to transition.
Since opening in 1929, the school has represented 22 countries and 20 states, and was one of the last ranch schools of its kind, Durow said. It boasted a rate of 100% for seniors who get accepted into colleges afterward, with some students going on to study at Ivy League colleges such as Cornell University.
Along with studying academics, students took care of horses and cows, completed their own chores and helped with community chores, said Todd Horn, who was the head of school for The Orme School from 1990-97.
“The students were terribly sad; Orme is their home away from home, but kids are resilient,” Durow said.
Horn said it’s been hard for small boarding schools to keep up with expenses, but that closing the school is not a cause for mourning and, when it closed, he immediately began to reflect on the transformative experiences he had there.
“When a school closes it’s a time to honor all the great chapters of the school’s history possible,” Horn said.
In the school’s initial announcement in January, where they broke the news about the possibility of a closure, the Board of Trustees said the school must generate $6 million in “immediate cash donations” to remain operable.
The co-educational college preparatory boarding school had attributed the possibility of closure to the lasting effects of the pandemic, enrollment decline and financial challenges.
The Orme School is planning to have an alumni barbecue on Saturday, May 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., which will be a celebration of the school’s accomplishments.
“You don’t lose those memories, even when a school closes,” Durow stated.
Durow said the students are carrying on the end of the semester just like normal, and that the seniors are getting to participate in all of the traditions that make Orme so special — including a caravan trip, a senior ladies tea and a gentlemen’s grill.
Though the fact that the school is closing may be mentioned at graduation, it won’t be the main focus. Durow said the students will shine.
Twenty-three faculty members and 85 students, 23 of whom are graduating next month, will be affected by the closure, Durow said.
As the school year comes to an end, The Orme School is prioritizing transitioning students and their families to new schools for the 2025-26 academic year, according to the website announcement. School officials said they are working with families to provide as much guidance and resources as possible.
“Thank you for being part of The Orme School family,” the website announcement states. “We are immensely proud of our students, alumni, faculty and staff, and we are committed to concluding this year with the same spirit and dedication that have always defined The Orme School.”
Durow said the Board of Trustees is working with a buyer who is looking to acquiring The Orme School, but that the interested buyer wants to leave Orme’s museum intact and preserve the buildings, so other people can continue to enjoy it.
The schools’ archives will be moving to Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott throughout the summer and will be available to the public when the hall is ready.
Editor’s Note - A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years.
