progressive education
Progressive education, or protractivism, is a pedagogical movement that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms to the present. In Europe, progressive education took the form of the New Education Movement. The term ''pr ...
that originated in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
during the late 19th century. Country Day Schools sought to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building aspects of the best college-prepboarding schools, while allowing students to return to their families at the end of the day. To avoid the crime, pollution and health problems of the industrial cities of the early 20th century, the schools were sited in the 'country', where wealthy families owned large homes in areas that would later be known as suburbs.
Overview
The Country Day School movement shared many values with the Arts and Crafts movement. School buildings and campus landscaping were designed with the goal of creating an inspirational atmosphere that would foster learning and culture. In keeping with this holistic view of the student learning environment, various "after-school" programs promoted student development, including athletic programs, choir and religious studies, and monitored study time. Students were given opportunities to develop leadership skills through clubs and student organizations.
The first Country Day Schools were
Poly Prep Country Day School
Poly Prep Country Day School (commonly known as Poly Prep) is an independent, co-educational day school with two campuses in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The Middle School (5th to 8th grades) and Upper School (9th to 12th grades) are loc ...
,
University School
University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys, private, Junior Kindergarten–12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio. The campus located in Shaker Heights serves junior kindergarten through eigh ...
(near Cleveland),
Detroit Country Day School
Detroit Country Day School (also known as DCD, DCDS, or Country Day) is a private, secular school located in four campuses in Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan, north of Detroit. The administrative offices, facility services, safety a ...
,
Gilman School
Gilman School is an all-boys independent school located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. There are three school divisions: Lower School, grades pre-kindergarten through five; Middle School, grades six through eight; and Up ...
,
McDonogh School
McDonogh School is a private, coeducational, PK-12, college-preparatory school founded in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States in 1873. The school is named after John McDonogh, whose estate originally funded the school. The school now enrolls ...
and The Summit Country Day School. These six college-preparatory schools provided the structure and campus location format which would guide many more Country Day Schools that would be built around the country over the next 100 years. A leader in the movement,
Tower Hill School
Tower Hill School is a private college preparatory school in Wilmington, Delaware, offering instruction for pre-school through 12th grade.
History
Tower Hill was founded in 1919. The school is situated at the high point of Wilmington's neighbo ...
, was founded by the
du Pont family
The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its f ...
in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
, and headed by Burton Fowler, a devout follower of John Dewey and president of the
Progressive Education Association
The Progressive Education Association was a group dedicated to the spread of progressive education in American public schools from 1919 to 1955. The group focused on pedagogy in elementary schools through the twenties. The group turned towards p ...
.
List of schools
Along with those listed above, prominent Country Day Schools include the following:
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
)
*
Beaver Country Day School
Beaver Country Day School is an independent, college-preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12 founded in 1920. The school is located on a campus in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, near Boston. Beaver is a member ...
South Berwick, Maine
South Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,467 at the 2020 census. South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy, a private, co-educational university-preparatory day school founded in 1791.
The town was s ...
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C.
In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...
Charlotte Country Day School
Charlotte Country Day School is a private, secular school in Charlotte, North Carolina, with classes in grades Junior Kindergarten – 12. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Southern Associat ...
(
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
Gahanna, Ohio
Gahanna ( ) is a city situated in northeast Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,726 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. It was founded in 1849. ...
)
*
The Country Day School
The Country Day School (CDS) is an independent, non-profit, preparatory, co-educational day school in King City, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1972.
CDS is a member of Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Conference of ...
(
McLean, Virginia
McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxi ...
Madison, Connecticut
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census.
Madison was first settled in 16 ...
)
*Crane Country Day School (
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...
Detroit Country Day School
Detroit Country Day School (also known as DCD, DCDS, or Country Day) is a private, secular school located in four campuses in Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan, north of Detroit. The administrative offices, facility services, safety a ...
(
Beverly Hills, Michigan
Beverly Hills is a village in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is about north of the city of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,267. Located within Southfield Towns ...
)
*
Evansville Day School
Evansville Day School (EDS) is a private, Jr. PreK-12 college-preparatory school located in Evansville, Indiana in the United States. It is the only independent coeducational, day school in Evansville and the surrounding region. To accommodate ...
(
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
)
*
Far Hills Country Day School
Far Hills Country Day School (FHCDS) is a private, co-educational Preschool-Grade 8 school located in Far Hills, New Jersey. The school is situated on 54 acres that include learning gardens, computer labs, media centers, a performing arts cente ...
(
Far Hills, New Jersey
Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 919,Claremont, California)
*
Forsyth Country Day School
Forsyth Country Day School (FCDS) is a coeducational private day school located in Lewisville, North Carolina. FCDS was established in 1970.
Accreditation
FCDS is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Souther ...
(
Lewisville, North Carolina
Lewisville is a town in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States of America. The population was 13,388 at the 2020 census, up from 12,639 in 2010. It is a Piedmont Triad community.
Geography
Lewisville is located in western Forsyth Count ...
)
*
Fort Worth Country Day School
Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) is a JK-12 private, independent, coeducational, nondenominational college-preparatory school located on approximately 100 acres in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Associa ...
(
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Fox Chapel is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, and is an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh located northeast of downtown. The borough continually garners national prominence and is home to many of the wealthiest and most powerful p ...
)
*
Glenelg Country School
Glenelg Country School is a nonsectarian, co-educational independent day school in Howard County, Maryland, adjacent to Columbia, Maryland and between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
)
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Green Fields School
Green Fields School is a free public charter school (a member campus of Accelerated Elementary and Secondary Schools) in Tucson, Arizona, United States. It provides educational services for elementary, middle, and high school students (Pre-K..12) ...
(
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
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*
Greenwich Country Day School
The Greenwich Country Day School is a co-educational, independent day school in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1926. As of 2019, it enrolled some 1190 students from nursery to 12th grade level. In November 2017, Greenwich Coun ...
(
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...
Madison, Connecticut
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census.
Madison was first settled in 16 ...
*
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Hamden Hall Country Day School is a coeducational private day school in Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The population was 61,169 ...
(
Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The population was 61,169 at the 2020 census.
History
The peaceful tribe of Quinnipiacs were the first residents of the ...
)
*
Hawken School
Hawken School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school in Northeast Ohio.
Hawken currently has two main campuses, the Lower and Middle Schools in Lyndhurst and the Upper School in Chester Township, plus a third, an urb ...
(
Gates Mills, Ohio
Gates Mills is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,270 at the 2010 census. Gates Mills is a suburb of Cleveland and was originally part of Mayfield Township.
The village was named for Halsey Gates, the propri ...
)
*
Keith Country Day School
Keith Country Day School is a private, fully accredited, independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory school located in Rockford, Illinois, USA. It serves students from the preschool level (referred to as "cottage") to 12th grade.Keith Country ...
Kentucky Country Day School
Kentucky Country Day (KCD) is an independent co-educational college preparatory day school for junior kindergarten through 12th grade located in Louisville, Kentucky. It is located in northeastern Jefferson County on a large suburban campus.
...
(
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
)
*
The Key School
The Key School is an independent coeducational school, located in the neighborhood of Hillsmere Shores in Annapolis, Maryland. The Key School was established by a group of tutors from St. John's College in 1958. Key is a member of the National A ...
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
)
*
John Burroughs School
John Burroughs School (JBS) is a private, non-sectarian college-preparatory school with 631 students in grades 7– 12. Its 49-acre () campus is located in Ladue, Missouri (US), a suburb of St. Louis. Founded in 1923, it is named for U.S. natu ...
(
Ladue, Missouri
Ladue is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,989.
Ladue has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with a population over 1,000.
G ...
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
The town's popular downtown area is colloquially ...
)
*
La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla Country Day School (known informally as "Country Day" or "LJCDS") is an independent school in University City, a community of San Diego, California. The school contains a lower school (consisting of nursery through fourth grade), a m ...
Lake Forest Country Day School
Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS), founded in 1888, is a coeducational, independent preK-8 school located on a 29-acre campus in Lake Forest, Illinois, USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United S ...
Waunakee, Wisconsin
Waunakee () is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waunakee bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World".
History
When t ...
Corte Madera, California
Corte Madera (; Spanish for "Chop Wood") is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. Corte Madera is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 39 feet (12 m). The population was 10,222 at the 2020 census. The town was named afte ...
Ladue, Missouri
Ladue is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,989.
Ladue has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with a population over 1,000.
G ...
)
*
Masters School
The Masters School (colloquially known as Masters), is a private, coeducational boarding school and day college preparatory school located in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Its campus is located north of New York City in the Hudson Valley in We ...
(
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...
)
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Maumee Valley Country Day School
Maumee Valley Country Day School (or MVCDS, Maumee Valley or MV) is an independent and non-religious private school located in Toledo, Ohio. The school was founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in Western New York and was moved to Tole ...
(
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
)
*
Memphis University School
, motto_translation = Truth and Honor
, streetaddress = 6191 Park Avenue
, city = Memphis
, state = Tennessee
, zipcode = 38119
, province =
, country = United States
, coordinates ...
(
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
)
*
Metairie Park Country Day School
Metairie Park Country Day School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school preparatory day school in Metairie, Louisiana, with classes in grades Pre-Kindergarten– 12. The campus is located in the Old Meta ...
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
)
*
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School (abbreviated NCCS) is an independent, private day school in New Canaan, Connecticut for students in Beginners (age 3) through Grade 9 from Fairfield and Westchester Counties. The current head of school is Aaron Cooper.
...
(
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census.
About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bound ...
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
)
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North Shore Country Day School
North Shore Country Day School is a selective prep school in Winnetka, Illinois. It took its current form as a coeducational school in 1919 during the Country Day School movement, though it started as the Rugby School for Boys (1893-1900) and Gir ...
(
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
Amherst, New York
Amherst () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. Amherst is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census.
The second ...
)
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Park Tudor School
Park Tudor School is a coeducational independent college preparatory day school founded in 1902. It offers programs from junior kindergarten through high school. It is located in the Meridian Hills neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. A mer ...
(
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
)
*
The Pembroke Hill School
The Pembroke Hill School (usually referred to as Pembroke Hill) is a progressive, inclusive, secular, coeducational, independent preparatory school for about 1,200 students in early years (age 2 years) through high school, separated into four sec ...
(Kansas City, Missouri)
*Phoenix Country Day School (Paradise Valley, Arizona)
*Pingry School (Basking Ridge, New Jersey)
*Princeton Day School (Princeton, New Jersey)
*Providence Country Day School (East Providence, Rhode Island)
*Riverdale Country School (Bronx, New York)
*Riverfield Country Day School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
*Roland Park Country School (Baltimore, Maryland)
*Rolling Hills Country Day School (Rolling Hills Estates, California)
*Rumson Country Day School (Rumson, New Jersey)
*Rye Country Day School (Rye, New York)
*Sacramento Country Day School (Sacramento, California)
*St. Paul Academy and Summit School (St. Paul, Minnesota)
*Savannah Country Day School (Savannah, Georgia)
*Scarborough Country Day School (Briarcliff Manor, New York)
*Seacrest Country Day School (Naples, Florida)
*Seattle Country Day School (Seattle, Washington)
*Shady Side Academy (
Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Fox Chapel is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, and is an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh located northeast of downtown. The borough continually garners national prominence and is home to many of the wealthiest and most powerful p ...
)
*Shore Country Day School (Beverly, Massachusetts)
*St. John's Country Day School (Orange Park, Florida)
*Stuart Country Day School (Princeton, New Jersey)
*Upland Country Day School (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)
*University Liggett School (Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan)
*University School of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
*Westchester Country Day School (High Point, North Carolina)
*Wooster School (Danbury, Connecticut)
*York Country Day School (York, Pennsylvania)
Other countries
*Costa Rica Country Day School (San Rafael de Alajuela, Costa Rica)
*The Country Day School (King City, Ontario, Canada)
*Good Hope Country Day School (Kingshill, Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Country Day School Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Alternative education
Private schools in the United States, *