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The DEFCON Scale For Independent Schools

Ross Peters
   May 28, 2026

The Eight Measurements of the DEFCON Scale For Independent Schools

What are we measuring?

Relational / Strategic Financial / Structural
Cultural Resilience  Structural Sustainability
Governance Discipline Liquidity Strength
Community Confidence Capital Stability
Strategic Coherence Revenue Authenticity

The Ten Domains of the DEFCON Scale for Independent Schools

How are we measuring?

  1. Enrollment demand + Yield
  2. Net Tuition Revenue + Discount Rate
  3. Fundraising + Endowment Strength
  4. Financial Health / Structural Balance
  5. Mission Delivery + Program Quality
  6. Faculty Talent, Compensation + Retention
  7. Campus Condition + Capital Needs
  8. Leadership + Governance Alignment
  9. Data Quality, Systems + Predictive Capacity
  10. Parent + Community Trust

Ross Peters and Damian Kavanaugh, Executive Director of MISBO, have built collateral that surfaces both the extent to which the Board, as well as the executive leadership team, is internally aligned across these domains, and is able to identify and seek answers to critical questions through data gathering and analysis.

The DEFCON Scale work is ideal for schools embarking on strategy creation. Reach out if you think we might be of help!


 
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