Harbor School has purchased Carpe Diem Primary School, resulting in the island’s only private K-8 school.

Those involved in the merger, which was formally approved by Harbor School’s board on Monday, say that while the purchase happened quickly, the idea has been in the works for years.

“This was the logical next step,” said Janice Campbell, former owner and head of Carpe Diem. “For the school, myself, for all involved to continue to grow.”

Campbell has owned and run Carpe Diem, a for-profit school for children in kindergarten through the third grade, for the last eight years, and she was a teacher there for four years prior to that. Her son attended the school before she started teaching there, and she believes her time at the school has simply run its course.

“I have been able to enjoy being a full owner, making choices about hiring and curriculum, watching the school get better and better every year,” she said. “It’s been very rewarding, but it seemed like the time was right to move on.”

Under Campbell’s direction, the school — which is located just outside of town in the Land Trust Building — went from 17 students to 30 with a waiting list.

Campbell explained that when she decided to sell, she approached Harbor School because the two schools have long shared similar philosophies and because many parents already send their Carpe Diem graduates to Harbor School.

“Ever since we got started back in 1995, the idea of becoming one school has been there,” said James Cardo, head of Harbor School. “Parents really wanted a like-minded school to move their kids into when they finished at Carpe Diem.”

Cardo noted that serious exploration of a merger began about four years ago, and that Harbor School formed a committee to work through ideas, long-term plans and negotiations for how they might merge the two schools if and when the opportunity arose.

“Our goal is ultimately a K through 8 school with strong academics, strong art and a strong travel study program, unified with a single curriculum,” he said.

As for immediate changes, Cardo said that things won’t look much different at the two schools for now. Both schools will keep their current names and remain in their current locations.

“The kids going to Carpe Diem will be most affected by this change, so we don’t want to rock the boat too much,” he said, adding that eventually his hope is to have the two schools together on one campus if possible.

Changes that will happen immediately include making Carpe Diem a nonprofit and centralizing the administration of the schools — meaning that all business conducted like insurance, contracts, enrollment, hiring and faculty benefits will be managed through Harbor School.

As for accreditation, Carpe Diem will be assigned candidate status with the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), of which Harbor School is a member. Carpe Diem can then be rolled in as a division of Harbor School during the next accreditation cycle.

Both school communities are supportive of the news, Cardo said, noting that the teachers were “immensely enthusiastic” and that the parents of children attending Carpe Diem can see that they will now have a well-developed track for their kids all the way through the eighth grade.

“We are creating a lasting legacy of progressive education here,” he said.

As for Campbell, she plans to continue to do some math teaching and tutoring, as well as get back to her artistic roots and paint.

She declined to say what she sold the school for, but said she was looking forward to watching the transition and to her own next steps.

“Selling Carpe Diem to Harbor School was just meant to be,” she said. “I’m excited to see how the schools will now grow as one.”