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Unification Updates

One Campus
One Community
One Seven Hills

Welcome to the One Seven Hills webpage, where you can find information on the unification of our Lower Schools, plans for improving the educational experience, preliminary renderings of the Hillsdale Campus, and much more.

The Seven Hills School has announced plans to reimagine our school as one campus where the best aspects of Doherty and Lotspeich culture, traditions, and programs are combined in one Lower School. On this website, you can find:

As we progress through the unification, please check back here for updates and more information.

One Campus. One Community. One Seven Hills. ANNOUNCEMENT

Please see the announcement from Head of School Matt Bolton regarding One Campus. One Community. One Seven Hills.

Preliminary Renderings

Explore preliminary renderings of the Taft Early Childhood Center expansion, the new Lower School building, and the Founders Hall renovation. These visions for unification will be enhanced overtime.

Taft Early Childhood CEnter Expansion
New Lower SChool Building
Founders Hall Renovation

Fast Facts

  • The Board of Trustees is entrusted with looking to the future and continuing the tradition of creativity, independent thought, and innovation that has been our hallmark for more than 100 years.
  • After much consideration of alternatives, the Board has approved a transformative recommendation to unify all schools on our Hillsdale Campus.
    • This proactive move comes with input from and consultation with our accrediting body as well as a task force comprised of Board members and alumni.
  • There are many benefits to unification.
    • Building a new, state-of-the-art unified Lower School.
    • Enhanced curriculum.
    • More balanced classroom size for all students and teachers.
    • All Lower School students can benefit from the Hillsdale Campus amenities.
  • The idea of unification has been considered off and on for several years.
    • There are a number of aging buildings concentrated on our Lower School facilities, both Doherty and Lotspeich.
    • Enrollment at Doherty has decreased over the last decade, while there has been increased demand at Lotspeich.
    • Today, the majority of our families are coming from the north and we expect this to continue as larger demographic forces impact our enrollment.
  • The transition to the Hillsdale Campus is expected to take three years, with the intent of unification for academic year 2027-28. If your child is currently enrolled in one of the Lower Schools, see the chart below to see what campus/building they will be on/in and when.
  • There are no plans to reduce faculty or staff during or after the unification.
  • Our aim is to create an integrated Lower School culture, retaining the best traditions of Doherty and Lotspeich.
  • The Doherty and Lotspeich Lower Schools have been central to a Seven Hills education, and many alumni, parents, and students have deep emotional ties to the faculty and staff and the friends they made at the school.
  • This unification is an important step forward for Seven Hills. Preliminary renderings of the improvements planned for the Hillsdale Campus, the tentative timeline, and more detailed information can be found below.
  • As this transition unfolds over the next couple of years, we will continue to provide updates on the website and answer any questions from our Seven Hills community.

FAQs

Can tours be set up for current families who want to visit the other campus? 

Yes. If your child currently attends Lotspeich and you would like to tour Doherty or vice versa, please contact the admissions office to learn more.

Will Hives continue? 

Yes.  All Lower School will continue to be a part of Hives.

Is the Doherty Carnival and May Fete be open to all students?

Yes. Students from both the Doherty and Lotspeich Lower Schools are welcome to attend both events.

Will there be ways for students to gather before the physical unification happens? 

Yes. There is currently a social committee and faculty committee identifying opportunities for students at both campuses to interact. 

Who is on the Seven Hills Board of Trustees?
The Seven Hills Board is made up of Seven Hills parents and alumni from all four divisions, with a wide range of talents, including experience in education, human resources, finance, law, construction, insurance, and investment. Visit our Board of Trustees page to see the full list of our Board members.

What are the other improvements to be made to the Hillsdale Campus?

The majority of Hillsdale Campus buildings are in great shape, and the buildings most in need of replacement are the Lotspeich, Briggs, and Meckel building. Replacing those buildings with a state-of-the-art Lower School will bring all infrastructure up to date.

Will there be enough playgrounds and green space around the new Lower School?

Yes. Because the new building is two stories rather than one, we will actually get back some green space on the Hillsdale Campus. We plan on expanding our playgrounds and adding additional features. Playing outdoors and spending time in nature will be important elements of the new Lower School program.

Although no staff reductions are planned, will teaching responsibilities and assignments remain the same?

Our plan is to see this as an opportunity to match teachers and staff to roles that best suit their backgrounds and expertise. The roles may not be identical.

What does this mean for my child?

The unification will take three years to complete. If your child is currently enrolled in one of our Lower Schools, please reference this student chart to see which campus/building they will be on/in and when.

Were other options considered?

Many options were considered and the best one was chosen.

Are there financial concerns that drove the unification plans?

Seven Hills is healthy from a financial perspective. We are responsibly thinking of the future and the needs of our students. It will be more expensive over time to address the aging buildings on the Doherty Campus and the Lotspeich building on the Hillsdale Campus. In addition, over the last decade, we have experienced decreased enrollment at Doherty and increased demand at Lotspeich, reflecting changing demographics, with more of our families coming from the north. 

Did the Board consult with families and alumni before making this decision?

The Board is made up of family members and alumni, and a task force was assembled to study this question. Their input has been invaluable.

What is going to happen to the Doherty school and land after the unification?

Part of the plan includes selling the Doherty Campus. Our priority will be to represent the school well and sell the property for an appropriate price that will go toward the unification. There are various zoning laws and policies in place that will ensure the owner is appropriate to the neighborhood.

What will happen to the Doherty and Lotspeich names?

We plan to preserve both names as well as the traditions and identities of both.

Who will head the new Lower School?

Seven Hills is grateful to Tracy Murch and Susan Miller for leading Doherty and Lotspeich, particularly during this period of change. Both Tracy and Susan will be in leadership positions in the new Lower School, and we will be determining their specific roles by the end of this school year.

Will tuition increase to cover the cost of the unification?

No, tuition will not increase to cover the cost of the unification, but tuition will continue to be evaluated based on a number of factors.

Will there be a special assessment for this capital improvement if the capital campaign doesn’t raise enough?

No.

Will my child receive the same level of individual attention at the combined Lower School?

Unification gives us the opportunity to right-size the classes to provide enough individualized attention but also social opportunities to our students.

Will class sizes be too big (or too small) in the new Lower School?

We think there is an ideal size for an early childhood or lower school class, and that the new program and building will allow us to offer that size. For example, pre-kindergarten classes will continue to be capped at 10 or 12 students based on age level, while in the upper elementary classes we are aiming for sections of 16-18. This will allow students social options while still ensuring that they have lots of attention from their teacher.

How will you keep the drop-off and pick-up lines on the Hillsdale campus from being excessively long once we have unified the lower schools?

We will make changes to some of our car line logistics and may stagger the start and dismissal times for the three divisions in order to avoid a morning and afternoon bottleneck.

I really value walking my child into school in the morning. Will I still be able to do this in the new Lower School?

Yes. Parents are currently welcome to walk their lower schoolers into the buildings at both Doherty and Lotspeich. This will continue to be true in the new Lower School.

Will the campus shuttle continue to run?

Yes, we’ll continue to run the shuttle throughout the three years between now and the completion of the unification projects. If there is parent interest in our continuing to run a shuttle to and from East Walnut Hills after we have unified on the Hillsdale Campus, we’re happy to explore that possibility.

What will happen to the unique elements of each Lower School, e.g. uniforms at Doherty or May Fete at Lotspeich?

Faculty and staff will look at the traditions and elements of both Doherty and Lotspeich and come up with a plan to preserve the elements that enhance the experience of all students.

Student Charts

If your child is currently enrolled in one of the Lower Schools, see the charts below to see what campus/building they will be on/in and when. Note that if your child is currently in third grade at Doherty, their trajectory will remain the same.