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Known. Nurtured. Inspired.
Known. Nurtured. Inspired.
Known. Nurtured. Inspired.
Known. Nurtured. Inspired.
Eight grade girls at Cincinnati Country Day posing on their graduation day.
Known. Nurtured. Inspired.
Two CCDS students work together on a Mole-Day project.
Students in science class

Welcome to Country Day

Cincinnati Country Day School is a coeducational, college preparatory, private school in Indian Hill, Ohio serving students from 18 months through 18 years. Since 1926, we have been focused on providing innovative preparation to our students, so they are ready to achieve success in college and life.

Knowing the Whole Child

“World-class faculty and small class sizes allow for personalized attention that creates lifelong learners who are known and nurtured throughout their Country Day journey. The hallmark of a Country Day education has always been the journey of academic and personal self-discovery, where students find the best versions of themselves and flourish in ways they did not think possible.” Rob Zimmerman '98
Head of School

Lower School
Lower School

18 months - Grade 4

Middle School

Grades 5 - 8

Upper School
Upper School students

Grades 9 - 12

Nurturing the Possibilities

We do everything we can to ensure that we continue to attract, retain, and develop outstanding educators, prioritize learning and teaching innovation, and sustain a diverse and inclusive learning community.

Building Relationships One Good Book at a Time

Lower School librarian Amy Thonnerieux has been instructing students, collecting books, and sharing her love of reading with Country Day students for 15 years now. Read More

Taking on New Challenges

Middle School science teacher Nate Johnston has been teaching at Country Day for 18 years, but he has a new role this year.  Read More

Filling in the Blanks with Jen Faber

This year, we welcomed 24 new faculty and staff members to campus. We sat down with one of these new faculty members, Upper School history teacher Jen Faber, to get to know her a little better…fill-in-the-blank style. Read More.

A True Teacher from the Very Beginning

"I started teaching in 1995 at the age of six in the playroom of my basement, I've always wanted to be a teacher," said middle school teacher Emily DiMatteo. Read More

Positively the Best

Hired as a long-term substitute teacher over a decade ago, Jennifer Hoffman is in her second year of teaching kindergarten. With experience, she brings incredible perspective and positivity to the classroom. Read More

Beyond the Bucket Hat

Tom Powers wears a lot of hats on the Country Day campus. From calling track meets, to mowing the lawns to coaching middle school football and even becoming the self-proclaimed "Country Day Athletics Historian."  Read More.

The Down-Low on Lo-Po

Lois Poe Rust is Country Day’s Jill-of-all-trades. In her 41 years as a member of the Country Day community, she's been a parent, a teacher, an event coordinator, and always the life of any Country Day gathering. Read More

Donating Leftover Food to Those in Need

This past school year, Country Day and SAGE Dining Services began teaming up with Last Mile Food Rescue to donate viable leftover food to help battle against food insecurity in the Cincinnati area. Read More

A Round of “Did You Know” Greg Miller

Greg Miller has just wrapped up his first year at Country Day (and first year teaching, period!) as the director of choirs. Read More

Engineering the Best Learning Experiences

Lauren Corrigan, Upper School math and computer science teacher (as well as assistant varsity cross country and track coach), just wrapped up her fourth year of teaching at Cincinnati Country Day School. Read More

Orienting Ourselves with First-Year CCDS Teacher Sarah Wagoner

We asked Middle School teacher Sarah Wagoner a few questions about her first year teaching at Cincinnati Country Day. Read More

Faculty Spotlight: Kathi Bagnoli, Director of Pre-Primary

Find out more about our hardworking director of pre-primary at Country Day. Read More

Teachers Travel Across the Globe for Summer Sabbaticals

Long-time teachers Elena Belfor-Sigalov and Brock Miller spent their summers on sabbatical. Let's hear from them about their travels and what they experienced. Read More

“Unsung Hero” Wins Staff Award

This year, Jeff Spain `71, Country Day’s invaluable network administrator, was selected to receive the Cincinnati Country Day School Staff Award for the 2022-2023 school year. Read More

Awarding Two Educators for Exemplary Teaching, Loyalty & Commitment

This year, Jeff Spain `71, Country Day’s invaluable network administrator, was selected to receive the Cincinnati Country Day School Staff Award for the 2022-2023 school year. Read More

Inspiring Their Future

“I love that Country Day continues to help students discover who they are and how they can become forces for good as future generations of dreamers and doers.”Sarah Herrlinger '90
2021 Distinguished Alumna & Apple's senior director of global accessibility policy and initiatives

Program Spotlights

CCDX is an experiential learning week, an outgrowth of Country Day Forward, the school’s long-range plan that has launched several initiatives aimed at enriching our students’ learning. From building and launching rockets to hosting a Naturalization Ceremony or participating in a "Law and Order" courtroom trial, students learn a plethora of new skills during CCDX week. For months, teachers in all divisions worked hard to develop a variety of classes and project across all disciplines. Both students and faculty are engaged in innovative learning and teaching programming - a hallmark of a Country Day education. 

Country Day’s global engagement initiative focuses on curricular and co-curricular learning, promoting a global mindset, and expanding international travel and exchange programs. Nearly 10 percent of our students are international or have international experience. Our global initiatives provide students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding and empathy for people and cultures that may be different than their own.

Service learning means using our education to make a difference in our community—at school, in the surrounding area, and around the world. We strive to provide service to people, animals, and the environment, and hope to foster a spirit of respect and willingness to serve. In the lower divisions, we learn about the issues needing student service, then help our students understand how that knowledge can be employed to ameliorate the problem.

Latest News

The seniors of the 2023 soccer champions.

Now that the state championship trophy for girls soccer is back safe and sound at Cincinnati Country Day School, we can take a sigh of relief and talk a bit about what this team accomplished. The Nighthawks’ record this year was 22-2 and they collected all three trophies, becoming district, regional, and state champions.

Read More about Leaving Behind a Legacy
Peer leaders from CCDS Sources of Strength participants.

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a special advisory about what he called an alarming increase in the mental health challenges facing American teenagers. To Combat this crisis and to fortify the wellbeing of all students, Country Day has implemented Sources of Strength, a national youth mental health promotion and suicide prevention wellness program for kindergarten through 12th grade. The mission of Sources of Strength is “to prevent adverse outcomes by increasing wellbeing, help-seeking, resiliency, healthy coping, and belonging.”

Read More about Country Day Brings Sources of Strength to Student Body
Winter Signing Day 2024

This February, seven seniors were joined by their families, friends, coaches, and teammates to celebrate Signing Day. Lucas de Alarcon committed to Kenyon College to play soccer, Andrew Pavlisko will play soccer at Hanover College, Caroline Ramirez will join the swim team at Denison University, Isabel Ramirez will play lacrosse at Depauw University, Melissa Teke committed to Earlham College to play soccer, Elizabeth Zimmerman will join the soccer team at Washington and Lee University, and Megan Zimmerman committed to Washington and Lee University for both soccer and basketball.

Read More about Seven student-athletes sign letters of intent to pursue athletics at the collegiate level
Zach Higginbotham coaching on the sidelines before a Cal football game.

Zach Higginbotham `13 may now be a “staff nerd” who handles all the team’s performance data and sport science-performance analytics and performance reconditioning on the field with the University of California, Berkeley’s football program as their applied science and reconditioning coordinator, but he was a self-proclaimed “chronic underachiever” in high school.

Read More about Being Thankful for the Difference
Head of School Rob Zimmerman `98

The name of this column is a clue to our philosophy at Country Day. It is inspired by the famous Plutarch quote that “the mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” This axiom has never been more true than at this moment. Skills like intrinsic motivation and adaptability, though important today, will be positively invaluable in the future. And “learning how to learn” can be cultivated in the right school environment. But it takes a new approach to education, not just stale content and rote learning that too many schools still rely on because “it’s what we’ve always done.”

Read More about Kindling a Fire: Learning How To Learn

Fast Facts

167

New students for the school year

21%

Class of 2022 recognized by National Merit or other national recognition programs

20

Countries represented in our student body

248

Parents, grandparents, and special guests attended the lower school Halloween parade

320

Marshmallows roasted during the freshman s'mores party

7,487

Views of the Instagram video regarding the girls soccer team winning state.

163

Middle School students participating in outdoor wellness classes

1,225

Service hours performed Upper School students on community service day