Mission Statement
Rye Country Day School is a diverse community of passionate students and world-class educators who challenge themselves and each other to think critically and make a positive impact on the world. With academic excellence at its core, our program promotes exploration and growth in every dimension of school life—intellectual, artistic, athletic, civic, and social. Rye Country Day students are lifelong learners with a deep sense of purpose and exemplary strength of character.
Not for Self, but for Service.
RCDS MOTTO SINCE 1869
Core Values
Respect and Responsibility
R
Commitment to Personal & Academic Excellence
C
Diversity within an Inclusive Community
D
Service
S
Philosophy
A superior education embraces the concept that to educate is to do more than to teach. We regard the student as a whole person and seek to assist each in fulfilling his or her potential for personal growth by providing an environment that nourishes cultural, social, and physical needs, as well as moral and ethical sensitivities, thus helping our young men and women to define an image of themselves that they can accept and respect.
Academically, the School offers a comprehensive program enabling students to think independently, to write and speak with clarity, and to appreciate the values and joys of the humanities, the arts, and the sciences. We hope that our students will graduate from Rye Country Day School with a feeling of self-confidence and pride in their particular talents, capable of attending the colleges of their choice and well prepared for what lies ahead.
It is our belief that the education of young people should encompass cultural, athletic, and communal experiences that stress the responsibility of each individual for the life and spirit of the whole community, resulting in a graduate able to face the world with confidence, to compete effectively, and to contribute meaningfully to society. RCDS's objectives are pursued by dealing with students as individuals, nurturing their abilities, challenging each to do his or her best, and offering a multitude of opportunities for academic, cultural, and personal growth. Rye Country Day School strives to celebrate the individual and to provide a substantive, stimulating college preparatory education for a diverse group of intelligent young men and women in an atmosphere that cultivates and challenges the varied potential of all students.
This is RCDS
Engaged, passionate students
When visitors walk through the hallways of our school and observe classes, they see vibrant students who are engaged and genuinely eager to learn. RCDS students are committed to working hard—they do their homework, they are active in class, and they challenge themselves consistently to grow and achieve.
Dedicated, expert teachers
Teaching at RCDS means being an agent of inspiration for students and colleagues alike. The School is committed to recruiting and retaining the very best teachers. It is not uncommon for faculty to move great distances in order to teach at Rye Country Day.
An accepting, authentic community
At Rye Country Day, students belong. The entire community works to make sure that all students experience a strong sense of connection within a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment, which is critical to learning.
Nearly boundless opportunities
At RCDS, students do not have to choose between athletic and creative pursuits—they can do both. The School offers numerous athletic opportunities via 72 interscholastic teams, and the size of our community means that there is room for every student to participate. At the same time, students can pursue various creative interests across disciplines supported by committed faculty and incredible facilities from videography studios to concert practice rooms, dance studios, state-of-the-art theaters, ceramics studios, and manual arts shops.
A joyful school
Joy is an essential part of the RCDS experience. When you walk through our halls, you see smiling students and happy teachers. We strive to tap into joy on a daily basis.
Character, skills, and citizenship in addition to knowledge
RCDS teachers are not just subject teachers, they’re teachers of empathy, kindness, and confidence. They’re also advisors and coaches. They champion learning that extends beyond their disciplines and divisions to provide a cohesive education of the “whole child."
Individual attention and support
Small class sizes and teachers who collaborate with each other care deeply about their students enable us to fulfill our promise of a nurturing environment that ignites a passion for learning in each individual student.
A 21st-century education
RCDS is committed to providing students with the skills they need to be 21st-century thinkers and changemakers. At Rye Country Day, learning crosses disciplines, and knowledge and aptitudes transfer to new and exciting problems.
A campus that sparks learning
Rye Country Day students enjoy the benefits of a small school coupled with facilities that are more typical of larger institutions. Our campus features innovation labs, theaters, turf fields, and entire buildings dedicated to the arts, complete with a black box theater, a design makerspace, and visual arts studios equipped with the best equipment. Students get to learn and work in all of these spaces within a curriculum that encourages exploration. The result is eager, experienced, adventurous, and multifaceted thinkers and learners.
An emphasis on diversity and inclusion
RCDS is actively committed to diversity and inclusion, and the diversity of our community is a great point of pride for our faculty and students (49.5% of the student body self identify as people of color). In a recent admissions survey, RCDS families cited the School’s commitment to exciting academics and a diverse community as the top two reasons they chose to enroll. Our students are surrounded by peers who have experiences and perspectives different from their own, and they are encouraged to share and discover those experiences and perspectives. Our curriculum considers diversity in its many aspects including learning the language of diversity, understanding diversity identifiers, representing diversity in class content, and engaging across difference.