Douglas Laurie, President, American Heritage Schools

May 2026 — Invest: spoke with Douglas Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools, about how private K-12 education is adapting to AI, shifting family expectations, and the school’s focus on curriculum, talent, and career-ready skills. “The minute that you stop innovating is when you start declining as a company or a school,” Laurie said.

Over the past year, what have been some of the most significant changes in the K-12 education landscape, and how have they influenced schools like yours?

One of the biggest changes has been how quickly AI has become part of daily life for students and teachers. We have had to develop more aggressive AI policies to make sure it is used responsibly, rather than becoming a crutch. AI can be a strength, but it can also be a weakness if students start relying on it too much instead of building their own skills and judgment.

For schools like ours, the goal is to stay ahead of the curve without losing what matters most. We want students to understand how to use new tools, but we also want them to think, write, problem-solve, and communicate at a high level on their own. That balance is going to define education systems over the next few years.

How are expectations around private education changing?

A lot of families moving into South Florida are coming from the Northeast, and they are used to a certain standard. Many of them have experience with well-known private schools in places like New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, so they expect excellence when they move here. That includes academics, outcomes, college placement, and student development.

At the same time, many parents are also looking for political and social neutrality. They feel their children may have been exposed to certain beliefs or perspectives in other school environments that do not necessarily align with what they advocate at home. In many cases, families see these topics as parenting issues that should be discussed and addressed at home, not in a classroom setting where they can become divisive. For private schools, it is important to remain neutral and stay focused on education, skill-building, and preparing students for the future.

From a well-being perspective, what are some initiatives you have in place to make sure students thrive and excel beyond academics?

We have instituted a soft skills program that puts even more emphasis on the kinds of abilities students need to succeed in the real world. That includes job interview skills, public speaking, and professional communication. We have always been aggressive about teaching public speaking, and our students are generally confident in that area, but we are taking it to another level and expanding the scope.

We are starting this work earlier, beginning in junior high, because these skills compound over time. The goal is for students to enter college and, eventually, the workplace with maturity, confidence, and the ability to represent themselves well.

You mentioned pre-professional programs. Can you share more about what those are and why they matter?

We have six pre-professional programs that are intensive, multi-year tracks designed to give students real depth in specific fields. Those programs are in law, medicine, business, engineering, biomedical engineering, and computer science.

What makes them different is that they are taught by professionals, not just educators. Students learn from medical doctors, attorneys, judges, and prominent business leaders. That exposure raises expectations, connects students to real standards in each field, and helps them understand what success looks like beyond a textbook.

Would you mind expanding on partnerships with businesses and how they strengthen those pre-professional programs?

A key part of the model is that students move from classroom learning into real-world internships. After four years of concentrated education in a subject area, they get to see what the practice of that profession actually looks like.

For example, students have internship opportunities with doctors and hospital systems such as Broward Health and Memorial, and also with groups like HCA. We also work with prominent law firms, engineering firms, and businesses across the region. That experience matters because it helps students confirm what they want to pursue, understand professional expectations, and enter college with clarity and confidence.

In a market where demand for high-quality private education often exceeds supply, what does responsible growth look like for institutions like yours?

Responsible growth starts with having the space to expand while protecting quality. We are fortunate to have enough property to expand at both schools. Right now, we are building a new building in Palm Beach to accommodate more elementary students because we were experiencing huge waitlists.

We also have future plans to build a new pre-engineering building on our Broward campus. That will support expansion across elementary and upper school as well. Growth is not just about facilities, though. Staffing and student-teacher ratios matter, and as long as you hire great teachers and maintain strong ratios, there is no reason you cannot serve more students without compromising standards.

How can schools like yours contribute to the regional economic development of South Florida?

Schools contribute to the economy by developing talent that employers can build around. We are proud of the quality of our schools, and we believe we are producing some of the best and brightest students through the combination of strong curriculum, soft skills training, and pre-professional programs.

Local institutions should be paying attention to that pipeline. Businesses and municipalities should be actively recruiting our graduates and working to bring them back to South Florida after college. Between the two schools, we graduate more than 600 seniors each year, and many are among the strongest students in the country. Keeping that talent connected to the region supports long-term economic growth.

Looking ahead three to five years, what are your top priorities for the institution?

The top priority is staying agile and keeping our curriculum strong and innovative. Facilities matter, but curriculum and teachers matter most. You can have great buildings and resources, but if the curriculum is not solid and forward-looking, and if the teachers are not excellent, the rest does not matter.

We focus heavily on hiring and retention because great teachers drive outcomes. One step we have taken is acquiring apartment buildings, duplexes, and houses so we can offer affordable housing for teachers and employees. That helps us attract and keep top talent in a high-cost environment. We have also instituted a medical insurance plan for employees that we believe is second to none.

We have a low turnover rate, and we want to keep it that way by continuing to invest in our people. The goal is to stay sharp in hiring and to make sure our curriculum remains top-notch as the world changes.

What trends are you keeping an eye on that might disrupt curriculum in the years ahead?

AI is still at the top of the list. We are watching it closely and trying to stay ahead of the game while using it responsibly. The other area we are focused on is soft skills, which we believe suffered after COVID, especially for students who spent significant time in online learning environments. Some students did not gain the same social development opportunities as their predecessors.

That is why we are emphasizing soft skills as a long-term advantage for American Heritage students. We want them to graduate with stronger communication, stronger interpersonal skills, and stronger professional readiness than most students entering college and the workforce.

We are also keeping an eye on growth pressures because our waitlists are large. We have families who put children on waitlists before they are even born. It is a good problem and a challenging one, and it reinforces why expansion has to be planned carefully and executed without sacrificing quality.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We are proud of our student outcomes and the achievements of our seniors. We recently learned we had 19 Presidential Scholars between the two schools, which is something we are extremely proud of. Most schools are fortunate to have one, so that speaks to the work our students and teachers are doing.

Ultimately, our focus is to keep improving, keep innovating, and keep preparing students for what comes next. The minute that you stop innovating is when you start declining as a company or a school.