Madison Country Day School is a nonsectarian, independent day school in Dane County, Wisconsin, for grades Pre-K through grade 12. The school has an enrollment of about 500 students. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). It is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School that offers the IB Diploma Program (DP) to high school students in grades 11 and 12. As well as the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) to students in grades 5 to10 and IB Primary Years Program (PYP) to students in Pre-k to grade 4. Madison Country Day School is informally known as "MCDS".
History The school began classes on September 2, 1997.Phil McDade. "Private school strives to build a team". The Wisconsin State Journal, September 3, 1997. The school was originally planned for a site in the Town of Westport donated by PDQ convenience store founder Sam Jacobsen,Phil McDade. "Town of Westport Site for School Awaits Vote: Private Academy Set on Farm Land". Wisconsin State Journal, March 25, 1997. with buildings to be designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects.Phil McDade. "Ideas for Private School in Westport on the Books: Initial Draft Presented to Town's Plan Commission". Wisconsin State Journal, February 11, 1997. However, when a conditional use permit was denied by the Dane County Zoning and Natural Resources Committee,Phil McDade. "Madison Country Day School Blocked: County Zoning Committee Votes to Keep Rural Character of Westport Site". Wisconsin State Journal, June 4, 1997. the school rented quarters in a former schoolhouse in the town of Martinsville.Jason Shepard. "Lessons in the Making: Country Day Pushes Quality: Forced to Find New Site, School Makes Pitch to Parents", The Capital Times, August 7, 1997. Twenty-two students enrolled in 1997 for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and Grades 1–3. Additional grades were added one at a time. The school later moved to of land near Waunakee. A $3 million renovation project in 2001 converted sleeping rooms of the former Yahara Center into classrooms.Marv Balousek. "Country Day Renovation Near End: Project, Which is Planned to End Next Month, Will Create 17 Classrooms from 64 Sleeping Rooms". Wisconsin State Journal, August 5, 2001. An upper school was formed when the ninth grade was added in 2003.Doug Erickson. "New High School For Dane County: Madison Country Day School Grows". Wisconsin State Journal, September 28, 2003. The first senior class graduated in the spring of 2007.Anita Clark. "Diploma Days". Wisconsin State Journal, May 25, 2007. In 2015, a fundraiser began called Spreading Our Wings. The goal was to raise 6.8 million dollars in order to expand the school. The fundraiser was named after the school mascot, the fictional Prairie Hawk.
Curriculum MCDS is an International Baccalaureate World School and accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
MCDS enrolls students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The school has three divisions: The lower school covers pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The middle school contains fifth through eighth, and the high school ninth through twelfth grade.
Athletics MCDS's athletic teams are known as the Prairie Hawks, and they have been members of the Trailways Conference since 2012.
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