Charlotte Country Day School

My family has a long history of going to CCDS. My father and his older brother attended CCDS. My older brother graduated from Country Day. So it was natural for me to attend too. I started in JK. I was challenged, I was pushed to succeed, and I was surrounded by people I called friends. By 5th grade things went wrong. I began to be bullied by both boys and girls in my grade. As I entered Middle School I began to become closer to my teachers than to my peers as I was mocked and ostracized whenever I left the classroom. Finally in 7th grade I had too much. I had become depressed, verging on suicidal and I snapped. I yelled at a boy who threw a ball at me. I was taken into the office of our grade advisor, a teacher I respected and trusted. She told me it was a misunderstanding and made me apologize to the boy. I decided to leave CCDS. That summer my parents recieved a letter from my advisor who told me I wouldn't find anything better and would face the same in public school. I didn't. I loved it. CCDS has incredible athletics and academics, but the way the school treated me after my bullying soured the whole experience, and I am still to this day haunted by those last few years.

Charlotte Country Day School has one main mission: encourage students to be the best they can be. To accomplish this mission, each teacher spends time really getting to know each child. I am amazed how well my son's teachers know both his positive and negative traits. Honor and discipline are always part of every class, which helps to develop trustworthy and hard-working future adults. CCDS has a winning formula. We are in our 12th year at Country Day. We are so excited about college being on the horizon, but leaving CCDS will be bitter-sweet.
--Submitted by a parent

Our children have thrived at Country Day School. If you are looking at private schools, look at the libraries and that should give you a good clue what is important at the school. Also, ask your neighbors and friends about the kids that attend, the college acceptances, and the reputation of the school. There are a few private schools that don't have good reputations in south Charlotte. Country Day only accepts one out of 100 students. The better the school, the harder it is to get into. Our experience has been wonderful and it gets better thru each of the schools. The teachers are amazing and there is always room for improvement. Questions and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged by the administration and the parents demand excellence. It is pricey but well worth the cost. The diversity is a priority for not only the students but also the staff. There is not much turnover. The teachers are paid well and greatly respected. We love it and only considered one other option in town. The location is wonderful and the campus is very secure. Can't say enough good things about the teachers - the best in Charlotte! Demanding and yet caring - wonderful!
--Submitted by a parent

I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience at Charlotte Country Day School. I attribute a good share of my childhood development and college admission to the school, which in turn helped pave the way for my professional and personal development as an adult. Some of the best memories of my life were at that school, and I firmly believe that it is one of the best schools in the country. Some of the highlights I would point out: 1) High Quality Teaching Staff 2) Experiences/Opportunities that many children do not have 3) Fantastic facilities (sports and arts) 4) Focus on well-balanced student life and college admission
--Submitted by a student

CCDS is an amazing school. The teaching staff is top rate with incredible amounts of personalized attention given to the needs of each student. Everyone there really seems to love what they do and it shows. Challenging academics, great extracurricular activities and the facilities are all top notch. The separate middle school campus is a huge plus in terms of encouraging healthy development for those students. Can't say enough good things.
--Submitted by a parent

I was a student for 8 years and can say that the lower school is AMAZING the teachers are great and so are the facilities. The middle school is very cliquey and there is a lot of pressure on girls for the kind of clothes they wear etc. As for the academics they are very good and challenging. The foreign exchange program is amazing and allows kids to go to places like Cabo San Lucas in the 6th grade! As far as the whole cliqueness I have heard that it only gets worse in highschool. Unless your kid is extremely popular than they might want to look somewhere else. I have a lot of friends who go to AG middle school and love it. Overall its a great school for some people but not for everyone.

Charlotte Country Day is probably the best private school in Charlotte. Academically, pretty even with Charlotte Latin, a few steps ahead of Providence Day and leaps and bounds ahead of Charlotte Christian. I think what distinguishes CCDS from CLS is that their may be a slightly elitist mentality at CLS that is completely non-existent at CCDS.Athletics with the major sports (football, basketball, lacrosse, swimming) are usually better than the other three, with Christian being the only equivalent in baseball. However, Charlotte Latin may be a notch above in the non-revenue sports like wrestling and cross country. Over all, if i were a new parent looking for a private school, I would go with CD or CLS if affordable. Hope this has been helpful.

Charlotte Country Day is a fabulous school. We have had one child graduate and we have another one in upper school. The new head of school seems to have his pulse on what is going on and he has made a concerted effort to get to know the parents and the kids. The communication has improved greatly since he has been there and the kids like him. The class selection/options (upper school) are by far the best of all the private schools in Charlotte and the facility is amazing and so is Bucsnet! Many of the teachers have been at the school for over twenty five years. There are four full time staff members just for the college department - they are all wonderful! The staff truly cares about kids and wants them to succeed. It is a very rigorous program academically but the teachers do what they can for kids that put forth the extra effort. There are many opportunities for parents to serve and become involved at all levels. We love the school and have made many wonderful friendships because of it. It is not perfect, but pretty close.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a student at CCD. My school has offered me endless opportunities throughout my years at this school. I am in an environment where I can be myself, feel confident about my academics, social life, and athletics. I love CCD because it not only encourages me to reach my personal best, but everyday I strive to perform well due to the grand support my school gives me. I am comfortable playing sports both in and out of school, and I enjoy being involved in activities that make me unique. CCD offers such a wide variety of clubs, sports and opportunities, so there is something enjoyable and interesting for everyone. Each faculty member is wonderful, always willing to meet each pupil's needs. Being a member of the CCD community from jk all the way up to high school, I have always found CCD to be a friendly school always willing to accept new members with open arms. I truly feel I could not be happier any place else!

CCDS is a Great school... the teachers are so nice and willing to help! Although... the middle school seems to have a big bullying problem and theres a lot of pressure on girls such as dressing really nice for school etc. Theres a little too much drama. BUT I Love the lower and upper school!