GENERAL DIRECTOR'S WELCOME

Welcome to Country Day School, Costa Rica's original American School serving the international community and local families for more than 59 years!
Principal Welcome | Country Day School, Costa Rica-Content Page Header-CDS_Costa Rica_Dec_2022_Facilities_1

Our school serves 750 students from Pre-Kinder to High School, with students from over 40 nations. Our mission — to inspire a passion for learning and to provide children with the skills, values, and courage to become responsible leaders in our community and the world — is lived out every day in our 21st-century learning community.

 

Our caring teachers encourage students to take appropriate risks, to identify and realize their own strengths, and to take responsibility for their own learning. CDS students learn to stretch themselves intellectually, work together toward shared goals, and explore and develop the qualities of character that will guide them into adulthood with integrity, courage, and passion.

 

Our school sees parents and teachers as partners working together to bring out the best in our students. Our Parents Association is very supportive and involved, creating a strong community through the Community Picnic, International Fair, and Fun Run, among other events.

 

We hire and retain the best teachers available both locally and internationally, who share the school's philosophy and commitment to our mission. The knowledge, skills, and dedication of our faculty is contagious and sets the tone of excellence that permeates the campus.

 

We're proud to have a new purpose-built campus west of San José, in San Rafael de Alajuela, at the entrance of Condominio Hacienda Espinal, off Route 27. Our school is comprised of four House Divisions — Early Childhood, Elementary School, Middle School, High School — with separate flexible learning spaces designed for each division. Our campus stands out for its beautiful grounds and environmentally-friendly buildings, with one of the largest solar panel systems of any school, helping us attain LEED certification. We have a proven American-curriculum-based academic program with a wide array of after-school activities, clubs, and sports, plus an advanced technology program with iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops.

 

We invite you to visit us and experience Country Day School in person.

 

Jack Young
Director of Country Day School