Lausanne Collegiate School wants to raise $25M. What the Memphis private school has planned for the money

John Klyce, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·3 min read
A rendering of Lausanne's planned new upper school, which would be significantly larger than the current one.
A rendering of Lausanne's planned new upper school, which would be significantly larger than the current one.

In 2026, Lausanne Collegiate School will celebrate its 100th anniversary. And as it nears this milestone, the institution is launching the largest capital campaign in its history.

Drew Smith, Lausanne’s director of strategic communications, told The Commercial Appeal that the school has set its fundraising goal at $25 million, a number that could be adjusted if construction costs fluctuate. Already, Lausanne has raised $12.1 million, and it has plans to use the funds to both renovate current spaces and build new ones.

"We are at a crossroads in Lausanne's journey, where our commitment to excellence in education must be matched by state-of-the-art facilities," said Stuart McCathie, Lausanne’s headmaster, in a press release. "Together, we can shape the future of learning and empower our students to their fullest potential.”

What the project entails

As part of the project, Lausanne is expected to construct a new upper school, which would contain 32 state-of-the-art, customizable classrooms; lab spaces focused on subjects like science, robotics, and virtual reality; and faculty hubs with flexible workspaces. It would also include a covered garden terrace that spans the length of the new building, a first-floor café patio, and a second-floor veranda and covered performance space.

And this represents just one part of Lausanne’s plan.

As part of the project, Lausanne plans to renovate its lower school.
As part of the project, Lausanne plans to renovate its lower school.

Its current upper school will be renovated and become its middle school. Lausanne is set to renovate and expand its lower school ― an effort that will bring in new lab spaces ― and convert the second floor of its library into the Lausanne Global Institute, a space that is expected to encourage innovation, design, entrepreneurship, and social change.

In addition to this, Lausanne is set to expand its arts wing, an endeavor that would bring in a full-time arts director, and add an array of new spaces ― including 10 specialized practice rooms, a black box theater, a classroom and green room, ample storage space, a new dance room with a sprung floor, new design classrooms, and a fabrication lab and 2D art room with natural lighting.

The timeline

Construction of the new upper school and expanded arts wing is slated to begin in June and end in August 2025. Renovations of the middle and lower school, along with construction of the Lausanne Global Institute, are expected to take place between June 2026 and August 2026, and final middle school renovations are set to take place between June 2027 and August 2027.

A rendering of what the middle school courtyard would look like after the project is complete.
A rendering of what the middle school courtyard would look like after the project is complete.

If everything goes according to plan, Lausanne’s facility will be significantly larger.

Right now, the upper school spans 40,604 square feet. The capital campaign website says that on the “future campus,” the upper school will be 68,988 square feet.

The middle school, meanwhile, is set to expand from 23,398 square feet to 40,604 square feet, the lower school is set to expand from 43,485 square feet to 52,537 square feet, and the arts space is set to expand from 15,595 square feet to 25,896 square feet.

The Lausanne Global Institute is also expected to add another 11,113 square feet.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Lausanne Collegiate School Memphis planning $25 million expansion