Berkshire Country Day School

My son is having a fabulous experience in kindergarten. He loves going to school every day, and is learning so much. He comes home regularly to tell me one of the "awesome" things he did from going on a walk in the woods during science class to learning a new French song or creating something beautiful in art. He loves it. I do too.
--Submitted by a parent

My child is receiving an incredible education! The breadth of programs offered in academics and the arts is first-rate, as are the teachers and administrators. Children can't wait to arrive every day at this school serving students in preschool through grade 9. The after school athletic and theater offerings are fabulous. The community is diverse and supportive, and a culture of respect permeates the campus. There is a clear and compelling vision for the future, created recently through process that included parents, teachers, and administrators. Students are challenged and leave with a strong sense of who they are and prepared to succeed. Many go on to attend excellent independent schools.
--Submitted by a parent

BCD offers an adequate education in the lower grades, but grades 6 through 9 are weak. We are particularly disappointed by the (low) quality of instruction in french, uneven/inconsistent math teaching, and by the sports program, which is poor to the point of embarrassment. Given the beautiful location, there is very little curricular emphasis on the surrounding woodland, lake and foothill ecology, which seems strange. Overall, while there are some excellent individual teachers, the school seems to have settled into a smug (and fairly expensive) mediocrity.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a great school. Beautiful campus, wondeful location, best teachers around, many 8th and 9th grade graduates go off to prestigious prep schools afterward. They are well prepared for the upcoming work load. There are minimul problems. One, being that, the financial situation at BCD isn't exactly awesome. They have not much endowment, but that aside, they still have decent facilities. Another downside is that their sports programs are dismal. Each team has jerseys that are at least 15 years old, and saying their student body is unathletic is an understatement. I really wish that BCD commited more to sports, because it is very important for young kids to participate more in team sports. All in all, BCD is great academically, but don't go there expecting good sports.
--Submitted by a student

An amazing school. As my daughter applies to colleges this year, I am acutely aware of the role BCD has played in her education and growth. The organizational skills she learned in 6th grade, the phenomenal Latin dept., math dept. . . all of it, have so well prepared her. Language immersion in France in 9th grade, China in 10th have all created a well rounded academically prepared young adult. I cannot recommend this school and their fabulous faculty highly enough.
--Submitted by a parent

BCD is a small independent day school on a beautiful 27 acre campus nestled in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. The teachers are passionate what they teach as well as the happiness of their students. In turn the students are unafraid to take risks in the classroom, ask questions and be confident about their place in the BCD community as well as the world around them. Once students graduate from 9th grade, they are prepared not only academically, but as global citizens attending both independent and public school settings and then moving on to wonderful colleges around the United States. It is a special place that is truly a gem of the Berkshires.
--Submitted by a teacher

Wow, what's not to love about this academically-oriented -- but not so academic as to be intimidating -- school for kids PRE-9? French, Latin, Music, History, Math and Science -- and it's all connected around something they call interdisciplinary learning so students study themes like Egypt, or WWII, or whales across subjects. The campus is one of the prettiest places in the Berkshires. The sports programs are great, especially because they have found a way to make all kids feel included in sports. The parent community is very actively involved, and contrary to what one might think, this is not a school for rich kids. Most people are working very hard and sacraficing a great deal to be able to send their kids to BCD. It's worth every penny.
--Submitted by a parent