About Us

The Greenwich Country Day School is a co-educational, independent day school with 840 students enrolled in nursery through ninth grade. It is located on an 80-acre campus in Greenwich, Connecticut. The school is fully accredited by the State of Connecticut through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of NAIS.

Country Day was founded in 1926. The original 49 students and 11 faculty members, under the leadership of Headmaster John Lynn Miner, began their fledgling enterprise in a barn on the property of William A. Rockefeller. A year later, enrollment had tripled, and The Greenwich Country Day School found a permanent home on a beautiful estate, which still functions as an integral part of the campus. Today, GCDS defines itself as a rigorous family-school fostering academic excellence. Creative teaching is encouraged and used to motivate young students and foster a love of learning. The school’s emphasis on developing the whole child results in attention to developing strong academic skills as well as strong public speaking skills, character, values, creativity, and sportsmanship. Many faculty serve as coaches and advisers in addition to teachers.

Curriculum

Today, Country Day's curriculum stresses basic preparation in English, mathematics, history, World languages, and the physical sciences. Electives include choral music, band, instrumental and piano lessons, studio arts, printing, carpentry, sewing, photography, and drama. Daily physical education for all students, including interscholastic teams in grades 6-9, is an integral part of the school program.

Physical Location

The school is situated on 80 acres in central Greenwich, Connecticut, and is divided into three divisions: Upper, Middle, and Lower School, each with its own building and division head. Together they contain 54 classrooms, 5 science labs, 2 libraries, 2 auditoriums, 2 art studios, 8 tutoring rooms, 3 computer labs, 2 audiovisual rooms, and facilities equipped for teaching choral music, sewing, printing, electronic music, band, and carpentry. Other buildings include a dining hall with seating for 450, and 4 gymnasiums. The campus includes 54 faculty apartments and houses, 2 swimming pools, and ice hockey rink, 9 athletic fields and 4 new tennis courts.

Faculty

At this time, the faculty includes 33 men and 95 women, one half of whom hold advanced degrees. Each year over half the faculty attend graduate courses, conferences, or workshops underwritten by Country Day's Professional Development Fund. In addition to teaching, faculty members coach sports, sponsor extracurricular activities, supervise departmental activities, and advise students. The most recent NEASC Evaluation Report on The Greenwich Country Day School stated: "The Committee quickly characterized the School as a place where the adults truly love the children, where the individual is valued for his or her self, where humor permeates the campus and where people are seriously and honestly seeking to do their best for the next generation."

Facilities

An outstanding physical plant supports a comprehensive academic and extracurricular program. The campus totals 80 acres and is located in central Greenwich. It is the site for three large, self-contained buildings, which house the separate divisions of the school. Facilities include art studios, a wood shop, two auditoriums, two libraries, four gymnasiums, a print shop, computer rooms, a large dining hall, 9 athletic fields, 4 new tennis courts, and 54 units of faculty housing. Housing is provided for 60% of the Greenwich Country Day faculty–an unusual resource for an elementary school and an invaluable asset in attracting superior teachers. Another important campus attraction is the daycare center for faculty and staff children.

GCDS Graduates

Alumni of The Greenwich Country Day School have gone on to personal and professional success as doctors, attorneys, teachers, artists, businessmen and one President of the United States.

Many of our graduates attend the nation's finest boarding and day schools. In recent years approximately 37% of the class matriculates at Greenwich High School, where they have achieved recognition in both academics and extracurricular activities. Among our recent graduates are a large number of class officers, varsity team captains, and honor society members.

Virtually all the young men and women who graduate from The Greenwich Country Day School go on to pursue a college education, and they are well represented at the best institutions of higher learning. For more details see our Secondary School Matriculation .

Alumni ties with the school remain strong. One measure of their involvement: of the current parent body, 10% are Country Day alumni.

The Greenwich Country Day School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or make available to students at the School.