Arlington Country Day School (ACDS) was a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

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 ...

. A non-sectarian

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

school, it offered a

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and enrolled over 400 students a year. It was notable for its successful boys'

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

program. On January 26, 2018, the school closed its doors without warning and informed parents Saturday January 27, 2018, that it shut down.

History

Arlington Country Day School opened its doors as a private, coeducational elementary school, serving students from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

through the eighth grade in 1954. It was located on a small suburban campus in Jacksonville's Arlington neighborhood. It received full accreditation from the Florida Council of Independent Schools in 1968. In 1990, Fred H. Lichtward became an owner and headmaster of the school, and pushed to expand it into a full K-12 school. In 1991 a full

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

was added. In 1995 it began the establishment of a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, offering two academic programs. The school added another grade each year as students moved up, and it graduated its first high school class in 1999. In 2003 it received its first full high school accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the National Independent Private Schools Association, and the Association of Independent Schools of Florida. In 1995 the school also added its boys'

program. Arlington Country Day School was fined by the

Florida High School Athletic Association The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high schools in Florida. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Florida uses ...

(FHSAA) for recruitment violations, including a $1,000 fine in 2000 and record $33,000 fine in 2002. In 2010 the school announced it would withdraw from the FHSAA. Arlington Country Day School was a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Accreditation International (AI) and the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA). ACDS also joined the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) in 2010 to allow for more flexibility than the FHSAA could offer. Arlington Country Day School's enrollment had grown steadily over the years, and in 2010, the school expanded its student body by adding an international boarding component that draws students from around the world. On January 26, 2018, the school closed its doors without warning and informed parents Saturday January 27, 2018, that it shut down.

Athletics

ACDS had many sports programs. Its most notable is the boys' varsity basketball team, which has been called "one of the most celebrated programs in the country". The team won the Florida state Class 2A championship in 2005. ACDS repeated the championship in 2006, with a convincing 73–37 win over North Palm Beach Benjamin in a game played at the Lakeland Center. Again in 2007, the team defeated Port St. Lucie, 72–43, to three-peat. In March 2008, a four-peat was accomplished with ACDS again winning the state Class 2A title, beating Weston Sagemont, 54–53. The next season they again won the Class 2A state championship. They are only 1 of 2 teams to ever win 5 consecutive titles. The boys basketball team has appeared on national television and often travel around the country to play. Jason Bennett, a 7'3" center, agreed in December 2006 to play for Kansas State University. Arlington Country Day School finished eighth in the country in the ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' 2005 boys basketball rankings, one of only eight schools to be ranked in the top 25 for the entire season., ''

'', March 28, 2005 The 2006 team finished the season ranked 14th nationwide by ''

''. In 2000 and 2001, the ACDS baseball team won back-to-back Class 1A titles, winning their second title on May 15, 2001, by defeating Archbishop Carroll High School of Miami by a final score of 10–8 in a game played at Legends Field in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. On May 18, 2006, the baseball team won their third state title in six years, with a 4–2 victory over Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic.

Notable alumni

* John Brown (born 1992), professional basketball player * Luguentz Dort, professional basketball player *

Javier Báez Ednel Javier Báez (born December 1, 1992), nicknamed "El Mago" (Spanish for "The Magician"), is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cu ...

, professional baseball player * K. J. Maura, professional basketball player * Rodney McGruder, professional basketball player * Brian Navarreto, professional baseball player

References

External links

Official site

Official Athletics site
{{authority control Private elementary schools in Florida Private middle schools in Florida Private high schools in Florida Educational institutions established in 1954 High schools in Jacksonville, Florida 1954 establishments in Florida Education in Jacksonville, Florida