AT A GLANCE
“
Our spectacular faculty and staff nurture, believe in, and challenge your children to reach beyond what they know they can do to achieve what they don’t yet know they can do — ‘the impossible.’”
Sacramento Country Day is a Pre-K through 12th grade, independent, non-profit, college preparatory school that inspires intellectual discovery and engages a diverse community to think critically, live creatively, and act compassionately.
– Lee Thomsen, Head of School
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864
#1 Rated
590+
9:1
Best Private Pre-K– Grade 12 in Sacramento Region*
Pre-K– Grade 12 Students
Student / Teacher Ratio
65%
57%
$4.0m+
Faculty with Advanced Degrees
Self-identified Students of Color**
Granted in Tuition Assistance
100%
80%
11
Applicants Accepted to Four-year Colleges
of 5th – 12th Grade Students Compete on Over 40 Athletic Teams
Acres of Learning
www.saccds.org * Niche
** Percentage of total reporting
Spaces
AT A GLANCE
COLLEGE COUNSELING Our exceptional college counseling program guides and supports students through the process of applying for college and promises to provide 1:1 college counseling that promotes each student’s interests, strengths, aspirations, and goals.
#1 Private High School,
Best College Prep, and STEM HighSchool in Sacramento
100%
Applicants accepted to a four year college
Personalized Guidance for Every Future
45:1 Student to counselor
ratio (national average of 376:1*)
Access to our 1:1 college counseling program is a meaningful part of the Country Day High School experience and includes:
80% Five year average
• Individualized college application plan
with personalized recommendations for each senior
passing AP score
• Unlimited student sessions with the
Class of 2026
college counselor; expert guidance and support is always within reach
• 88% of students who applied
were admitted to UC colleges
• Direct access to college representatives
visiting campus each fall
• $1.5 million in merit aid. Our 49
graduates received 69 awards, up to $93,000/year per student
• Counselor and teachers personally
know each student and elevate school recommendations
• Accepted at 149 colleges
and universities * NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) statistic
“ Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
The college process at Country Day is, above all else, a journey of selfdiscovery. We offer students supportive, nuanced guidance, and then allow them to make their own informed choices along the way. We want every student to emerge from the college process having grown as a person, and excited about the next stage of their lives.” – Susan McGuire, College Counselor
Charting the Path to College Resources abound to ensure best fit future alma maters: • College Admission & Financial Aid
Workshops for parents and families • UC/CSU Application Workshop • Week long fall College Essay &
Application Workshop for seniors • Weekly meetings for juniors to learn
about applying to college, continuing through fall of senior year • Expert review of personal statements
by faculty • Country Day high school graduation
requirements align with the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) admissions requirements. All academic courses are articulated with the UC system.
LOWER SCHOOL
“
Lower School is where expert, creative, and loving teachers help build a solid and deep foundation.”
– Christine Fecteau, Head of Lower School
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Lower School at Country Day is where strong foundations begin. In a nurturing classroom environment centered in Responsive Classroom techniques, students build essential skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social-emotional learning, while maintaining the curiosity and creativity that make these years so important. Teachers know each child well and guide students through meaningful challenges, helping them grow as thinkers, classmates, and compassionate members of a community. The result is a Lower School experience that develops both confidence and capability, giving students the foundation they need for the years ahead. A daily schedule of core subjects in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and humanities is enhanced by specialty classes in: • World Languages • Art • Music Instruction • Physical Education • Library Studies
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
In addition, social & emotional learning and digital citizenship studies complement experiential learning through field trips, community service, and time in the garden.
LOWER SCHOOL
RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach to teaching and discipline that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management and developmental awareness. Morning Meeting Each homeroom begins the day with Morning Meeting. These community gatherings include greetings, sharing, and games that involve problem-solving and teamwork. They also offer practice in leadership and gumption. Building skills related to attention, listening, oral expression and cooperative interaction become the foundation for every lesson, transition time, and conflict, and Morning Meeting is an important starting point for this work. We begin each day together because it matters that each of us is here and that we are here together.
Teacher Language The language we use in the classroom is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. What we say to children has great power in shaping their sense of who they are and who they will become. In a Responsive School all teachers use similar professional language aimed at helping children with three primary goals: gaining academic knowledge, developing self control and building a sense of community.
How does Responsive Classroom support academics? A skillfully run Responsive Classroom serves the emotional growth of students and paves the way for a “smooth landing” into impactful academics. When lessons are learner-centered and students have social-emotional skills in place, productive and collaborative learning can occur with ease. The interactive learning structures of Responsive Classroom and a focus on developmentally responsive teaching allow faculty to effectively differentiate learning and tailor lessons for students.
Lower School Rules Beginning with their hopes and dreams for the school year, homeroom classes work together to develop rules that will help them to make their shared goals come to fruition. After each homeroom makes their choices, “delegates” from each room help recommend rules that are employed by the entire Lower School. These rules bring consistency and common language across homeroom and specialist classrooms and strengthen students’ commitment to doing their part in our community.
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
THINK CRITICALLY
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LIVE CREATIVELY
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ACT COMPASSIONATELY
MIDDLE SCHOOL
“
Together, we leave the comfort of the familiar and venture into new spaces, where shared experiences spark connection and meaningful growth.”
– Sarah Ostermueller, Head of Middle School
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Middle School at Country Day is where students build momentum. Through strong academics, daily advising, athletics, arts, service, and experiences beyond the classroom, our students stretch themselves, explore new interests, and begin to take greater ownership of their learning. In these important years, students build skills for future success. They are known well, challenged with care, and supported as they build confidence, responsibility, and a stronger sense of who they are becoming. Compelling learning experiences merge a variety of subjects in and out of the classroom and allow students the opportunity to build essential life skills: self-confidence, creativity, character, and self-reflection. Middle School Cavaliers are challenged to develop critical thinking abilities in a variety of ways: as readers analyzing high quality literature, historians evaluating accomplishments of notable figures, and mathematicians creating scale models and finding solutions to real-life problems.
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
Students understand where they are in their learning journey and they evolve key skills to ensure high school success, habits of mind, and a noticeable confidence.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
COUNTRY DAY ADVANTAGE Middle School gives students room to explore while building real skills. Students practice asking thoughtful questions, finding evidence for their ideas, strengthening research and writing, speaking with confidence, solving problems, and collaborating with others. These experiences help students discover what excites them, while building the habits they will carry into High School and beyond. Faculty Excellence
ELECTIVES
In Middle School, students are challenged and supported as they navigate the pivotal transformations of adolescence. Led by a talented and dynamic team of educators, students are encouraged to explore interests and stretch beyond their comfort zones.
A highlight of the middle school experience is an extensive elective program.
Social and Emotional Learning Through daily advisory and weekly SEL classes, students are asked to face conflicts through the lens of kindness, discuss diversity topics, and develop leadership skills. In the process, students gain confidence, resilience, and, ultimately, independence as they move through our program.
Clubs and Activities
• Art Studio • Band • Ceramics • Choir • Cooking • Creative Writing • Digital Citizenship Technology (required) • Drawing • Drama • Dungeons & Dragons • Farm to Fork • Games & Strategy • Learing Resource Study Hall
• Genders and Sexualities Alliance
• Maker Lab
• Monarch Club
• Money Matters (required)
• Robotics
• Newspaper
• Student Council
• Robotics
• Students of Color Affinity Group
• Speech & Debate • Where in the World? • World Cultures & Food
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
THINK CRITICALLY
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LIVE CREATIVELY
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ACT COMPASSIONATELY
HIGH SCHOOL
“
Students recognize that character development and personal integrity are equally important and directly connected to academic success.”
– Brooke Wells, Head of High School
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Students find direction through small classes led by strong faculty and access to unique leadership and growth opportunities. We reach beyond traditional content learning and challenge students to innovate and explore within a flexible academic program. Unrivaled Academics Paired with Personal Value A tradition of academic excellence, coupled with personalized educational pathways, prepare students for top, best-fit colleges and life after Country Day. Every student is known and valued in our inclusive and supportive campus community.
Advanced Coursework Country Day offers 15 Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams, and 8 Advanced Topics (AT) courses (weighted courses without AP exams) across a wide variety of subjects including science, mathematics, history, English, art and world languages.
AWARD WINNING PROGRAMS
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
Mock Trial
The Medallion Yearbook
#1 in Sacramento County, #5 in CA. The Varsity team won the county competition in 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 and took 4th in CA in 2024. Junior varsity finished with the best record overall.
#1 and #2 Academic Yearbook Spread by Journalism Education Association of Northern CA. Students design and publish The Medallion yearbook annually for all-school distribution.
The Octagon Student Newspaper
Glass Knife Literary Magazine
Leading award winner of CA Journalism Awards with 36 recognitions in 2025, including 24 individual awards and the award for General Excellence in the high school division.
In 2025 ranked superior by Recognizing Excellence in Art & Literary Magazines Awards, and First Class rated by National Scholastic Press.
HIGH SCHOOL
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM The Country Day High School is so much more than an accumulation of knowledge. It’s a process of self-discovery and transformation, with co-curricular programs that illustrate the flexibility and individualized paths a Country Day education can offer. Student Council
Internships
Leadership, organization, cooperation, and communication are at the forefront of student governance, where rallies, dances, and spirit days are designed with enthusiasm and a spirit of connection and belonging.
Our Science Department coordinates credit-earning internships at CSU, Sacramento to expose students to workplaces, and involve them in projects and research.
Robotics The Hoot and Compute team designs, builds, and programs robots to navigate arenas, overcome obstacles, and complete specific challenges to score points in the FIRST Tech International Challenge.
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES • Engineering Club • Japanese Language and Culture Club • The Kindness Club • Strive Against Stray • Math Club
Solar Regatta
• Badminton Club
Each year our team repurposes a 14-foot Hobie Catamaran and embarks on a creative engineering, project management and incredible teamwork in the SMUD Solar Regatta.
• Music Production Club
Affinity Groups
• Sports Psychology
Black Student Union, Latine Student Union, Asian and Pacific American Student Association, Genders and Sexualities Alliance, Punjabi Student Alliance, Christian Student Group, Jewish Students Association, Muslim Student Affinity, and Neurodiversity Alliance.
• Empower Her Club (EHC) • American Sign Language Club • Hackathon Club • Math Tutoring Club
• Food Review Club • Art Club • Babysitting Club • Politics and Philosophy Club • CAD Club • Environmentalist Club • Culinary Arts Club • Outdoors Club • Debate Club
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864
• Government/US History Club
www.saccds.org
THINK CRITICALLY
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LIVE CREATIVELY
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ACT COMPASSIONATELY
Curriculum SUBJECT AREAS English (4 years required)
GRADE 9 English 9 (Intro to Literature)
GRADE 10 English 10 (Literature of Migration)
HIGH SCHOOL
GRADE 11
GRADE 12
English 11
English 12
AP English Language & Composition*
AT English Literature & Composition*
Intro to Creative Writing Heroes, Anti-Heroes & Villains History & Social Science
World History 9
Human Geography 10
(3 years required)
Science
Physics
Chemistry
(3 years required)
Mathematics
U.S. History
AT Art History*
AP U.S. History*
AT Human Behavior*
Biology, AT Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology*, AT Anatomy & Physiology*, AP Chemistry*, AP Physics C (Mechanics & Electricity & Magnetism)*, AT in Applied Science*, AT Environmental Studies*
(3 years required)
Geometry, Geometry Honors, Algebra II, Algebra II Honors, Math Analysis and Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus Honors*, AP Statistics*, AP Calculus AB*, AP Calculus BC*, AT Calculus*
Computer Science
AP Computer Science Principles*, AP Computer Science A*, AT Computer Science (VPA)*
World Language
French I, French II, French III, French IV Honors*, AP French Language & Culture*, Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, Spanish IV Honors*, AP Spanish Language & Culture*, AP Spanish Literature*, AT Social Movements in Latin America, Equatorial Guinea and Spain, AT Spanish Cinema
(Level 3 proficiency required)
Visual & Performing Arts (2 semesters required)
Physical Education (4 semesters required)
Athletics (4 semesters required) 1 sport equals 1 semester of P.E.
Community Service (50 hours required)
Studio Art, AP Studio Art*, Garage Band, Chamber Music, Jazz Band, Orchestra, Choir, Drama, Yearbook, Journalism, Film Appreciation To promote individual responsibility and flexibility, students design their program with various physical activities and sports in which they may wish to participate for years to come. Independent P.E. provides credit to students who participate in outside competitive programs for more than 10 hours per week. Girls: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Ski/Snowboard, Softball, Soccer, Swimming/Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball Boys: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Ski/Snowboard, Soccer, Swimming/Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball Students focus their philanthropic activity in several areas on and off campus. Students volunteer for Breakthrough Sacramento, a community-based organization, which operates its summer program on Country Day’s campus. They spearhead fundraising for the annual Run to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving Day as well as the annual Turkey Drive. Students also help maintain Country Day’s organic garden, which donates the bulk of its harvest to a local food bank. * Weighted courses AT= Advanced Topics
ATHLETICS
ATHLETIC PROGRAM Country Day offers the most comprehensive athletic program in our division of the Sac-Joaquin Section. We field around 40 teams in 14 different sports, with nearly 80% participation from High School and Middle School students. Students are encouraged to get involved and avoid the “one-sport” mindset common at many schools. Athletes bound for collegiate sports can excel in their primary sport and join other teams, developing as well-rounded, confident young adults. SPORTS 5th-8th Grade
High School
• Cross Country
• Girls Volleyball
• Tennis
• Girls’ Volleyball
• Boys Soccer
• Track & Field
• Boys’ Flag Football*
• Co-ed Cross Country
• Girls’ Soccer
• Girls’ Flag Football*
• Boys & Girls’ Basketball
• Baseball
• Co-ed Soccer*
• Ski & Snowboard
• Boys’ Volleyball
• Co-ed Golf
• Swimming & Diving
• Track & Field
• Golf
• Boys & Girls’ Basketball
* 6th-8th grade program
Cavs at the Next Level • Fencing – Yale, Duke, and Princeton • Tennis – Claremont McKenna • Track & Field, Cross Country –
Dartmouth and Seton Hall
“
Our student athletes develop skills in leadership, teamwork, goal setting, mental toughness, sportsmanship, and confidence.” – Matt Vargo, Athletic Director
• Girls’ Volleyball – University of
the Pacific • Boys’ Soccer – Linfield University
Sacramento Country Day School 2636 Latham Drive Sacramento, CA 95864 www.saccds.org
THINK CRITICALLY
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LIVE CREATIVELY
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ACT COMPASSIONATELY