Why Independent Schools?
Independent schools like Sacramento Country Day are non-profit and develop and implement their own missions, educational philosophies, and instructional styles. We are governed by a Board of Trustees that allows for distance between broad, longer term steering and the administration, which oversees day-to-day operations.
Sacramento Country Day is fully accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Accreditation by these organizations includes rigorous oversight through self-study, site visits and professional development to ensure attention to current best practices of the independent school model.
According to the National Association of Independent Schools, our graduates:
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are more likely to successfully complete undergraduate and post-graduate work than their parochial and public school peers
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pursue a wide range of college majors and set ambitious professional goals
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express strong satisfaction with their career choices and confidence in opportunities for further training
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are highly skilled in the technology needed in the 21st century workplace
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pursue healthy, active adult lives
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highly value community service and civic participation
What exactly is a Country Day School?
“Country Day” is not an accreditation, franchise or a brand name. The original Country Day School movement originated in the United States in the late 19th century to provide the same academically rigorous and character driven college preparatory education their boarding school peers offered, but students returned home every night. Due to the pollution and health hazards of industrial cities at the time, these new schools were built in the 'country.'
Central also to the idea of a Country Day School was a robust after-school program, complete with athletics, music lessons, and monitored study time. The buildings and grounds were designed to be inspiring spaces that fostered learning and creativity.
As families research educational options they’ll become aware that some independent schools use the name “Country Day” while others do not. In present times, more important considerations for many are a school’s history, accreditations and not-for-profit status. Sacramento Country Day is the region’s only pre-kindergarten through 12th grade independent school.