The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States in the late 19th century.
Country Day schools seek to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building aspects of the best college prep boarding schools while allowing students to return to their families at the end of the day. To avoid the crime, pollution and health problems of the industrial cities of the early 1900s, the schools were sited in the 'country,' where wealthy families owned large homes in what would later be known as suburbs.
The Country Day School movement shared many values with the Arts and Crafts movement. School buildings and campus landscaping were designed with the goal of creating an inspirational atmosphere that would foster learning and culture. In keeping with this holistic view of the student learning environment, various "after-school" programs promoted student development, including athletic programs, choir and religious studies, and monitored study time. Students were given opportunities to develop leadership skills through clubs and student organizations.
The first Country Day Schools were University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, which opened in 1890, the Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland, which opened in 1897,The Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio, which opened in 1890, or the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, which opened in 1873. These four prestigious college preparatory schools provided the structure and campus location format that would guide many more country day schools that would be built around the country for the next 100 years.
Prominent Country Day Schools include the following:
