February 4, 2025

Dear MIS families,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank the MIS community for your continued commitment and support! I am honored to serve as the President of the MIS Board of Trustees this year and share with you some updates as we look ahead to the upcoming school year, 2025/2026. 

I hope you were able to join us at our annual Winter All Parent Meeting and MIS Familias activity on February 4. If you weren’t able to attend, you can view the presentation here. The Board and school leadership, teachers and staff could not be more proud of the many ways MIS students continue to excel to reach their fullest potential. Our program and our students are thriving!  

One of the Board’s biggest responsibilities is to set the budget for the school each year. The budget is the School’s mission in action, and the Board continues to prioritize maintaining the key qualities of MIS to provide the best education for our children. These key qualities are most represented in our students’ experience each day at school with our wonderful and highly professional teachers and staff, but also in the success of our graduates as they take big steps forward in high school and beyond. 

The proof of the secret sauce of the MIS experience can be seen in our alumni. We continue to hear from MIS graduates and learn from them that the education they received at MIS contributes to their success in high school, college and beyond. They are prepared to meet new challenges with flexibility, confidence, and an international mindset. MIS alumni continue to seek international connections and use their Spanish language skills.  They also find their MIS experience supports their college essays and applications. They have been accepted at a wide range of universities, a sampling of which includes Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Middlebury College, Colorado College, Lewis & Clark, Gonzaga, CalPoly, University of Southern California and Willamette University, in addition to those closer to home at UM and MSU. The superb language immersion opportunity as well as the International Baccalaureate framework MIS students experience from a young age prepare our graduates to pursue education and employment opportunities throughout the country and around the world. While your child may still be very young and high school and college seem a long way off, our alumni illustrate that your investment in their early educational experience will carry them a long way!

At MIS, diverse perspectives, cultures, backgrounds and identities are integral to our school culture and educational program. The Board is committed to ensuring that the cost of tuition is not a barrier for families at MIS. The School supports more than 30% of enrolled students each year with a need-based tuition assistance program. More than $480,000 of tuition assistance will be awarded to qualifying families in 2025/2026. MIS values our teachers and staff who come from many different backgrounds, cultures and countries; they enrich our program and the lives of our students. Many of our teachers are from Spanish speaking countries and share their rich heritage, perspectives, experiences and native language with our students. The Board remains committed to ensuring the people who make our program exceptional are well compensated and able to thrive in Missoula. Increasing teacher compensation is a top Board priority. Since 2021, the median MIS teacher salary has increased more than 30% to about $60,000 in the upcoming school year. Over this time period, the school has made a cumulative investment of almost $1MM in increases to teachers’ salaries.

A primary strategic priority for the Board is to ensure the school is in a strong position for long term financial success and sustainability. Since tuition income is the primary driver of the School’s annual operating budget, each year the MIS Board of Trustees reviews current financial information and budget projections to evaluate operating costs and determine tuition rates. 

Following a thorough discussion and review of financial projections and strategic priorities, the Board has determined tuition rates for the 2025/2026 school year. See the chart below. Rates will increase about $85 per month relative to the current school year. Please note that tuition rates increase for families who enroll after May 1, 2025. Earlier commitment to enrollment by families enables MIS to better prepare for the next school year by committing to the teaching staff needed to meet all students’ educational needs. 

We value each and every one of our students and families and look forward to welcoming you all back for the 2025/2026 school year.  

On behalf of the MIS Board of Trustees,

John DeArment 

Board President  

From the MIS Board of Trustees