Students at Seattle Country Day School have a variety of personalities, interests and talents. They demonstrate high intellectual and creative promise which, when carefully nurtured, may blossom into exceptional academic, social and personal strength, and which allow them to explore challenges and problems in exciting ways. Our students are children who:

• want to understand the structure of things
• who recognize connections between ideas and experiences
• are fascinated by the "whys" of a problem
• want to know how things work
• are intrigued by challenges
• demand much of themselves and sometimes of those close to them
• wonder deeply about things
• often develop a strong interest and knowledge-base in a topic

Fun-loving, witty, self-directed and inventive, these children approach learning with intensity. They crave depth and complexity in their studies, and they seek to be creators of new ideas. As they move through school, some of these children need to work at a somewhat accelerated level in one or more of their subject areas; however, what sets them apart from many other children is not so much the speed of their learning but the innovativeness of their thinking, the quality of their questions and the sophistication of their mental connections. At Seattle Country Day School, our focus is on these qualitative needs and abilities of our students. We provide opportunities in which they will explore ideas, grapple with challenging problems and, through experiences, construct their own understanding of concepts.

At every age, we appreciate our students for their developmental needs, their maturity level, their creativity and their intellect. Our goal is not to move children quickly through a standard curriculum, but rather to foster in them the ability to approach challenges with creativity, self-confidence and ingenuity while, simultaneously encouraging positive self-esteem, social skills and strong character.

We seek a balance of learning styles amongst the students, recognizing that children are broadened by a variety of understandings and ideas. Enhancing our school with their wonderfully unique personalities and experiences, the students bring with them a wide range of cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are committed to and celebrate the richness of a diverse school community.