Research this school before you allow your daughters to attend and shell out $31,000 per year in tuition. Two males 16 year old students made an AI generated CSAM of 60 girls...School leaders did nothing until they were forced to. They clearly only care about their reputations and the tuition. There is no accountability from the leaders of this school...do your homework before you if enroll your daughters in this school. read more

Student here! Came just about a year ago, and already got about a scandal and a half go down. There's also a mice infestation in this school. The education is fine, but not 20,000+ dollars a year fine. Some teachers are fine, and others are just constantly angry and yelling at students for no particular reason. Gym program is incredibly taxing. AI has also been widely used in this school, even after the incident, and it's being promoted. Students are encouraged to use Chatgpt, and teachers use it as well. Also, AI images are frequently used in the posters around the school. It's fine if you really need your kid into a college, but not if you don't want your child to have a crazy workload and 2+ hours of homework daily. My depression went from moderate to severe after just a week at this school. read more

Our Youngest daughter attended the school last year in order to see if it matched her learning needs and style. During this time, we not only paid full tuition; but also donated to a new playground for the school. This year, she has decided that she wants to return to her previous school to connect back with the religious education that she was receiving. Lancaster Country Day has a cut-off date of June 15th to cancel tuition, then from that time period to sometime after July, a parent is required to pay 50% of the tuition, no prorate, no question. June 15th was a Saturday, no one is at school during this time. So we missed the cutoff date by 2 days. We were informed that we would still be required to pay the 50% of the Tuition, which exceeds $10,000; but a way to recoup some of the tuition would be to sign up for Tuition Insurance at $285, our daughter would have to attend school for 2 weeks, and then we could claim a portion of the tuition back, this sounds fraudulent, we do not see this as an option. I contacted the business manager, John Ford and the Dean, Matt Micciche stating the reasons for our child wanting to change, my willingness to forego the $2800 deposit we made considering the 2 days late notice. I also provided the information regarding my previous donations etc. Neither representative would consider leniency, which I find totally unreasonable. I have also contacted the entire Board of Trustees, they stand behind the business managers decision. The school experienced an inexcusable event where a female student image had been altered using AI to be nude by a Lancaster Country Day student. This was reported to the school officials in November, 2023, "investigations" by the school officials occurred through May, then contacted the authorities, 6 months later, where further investigations occurred. Parents were not informed of any of this until June 24th, 2024....well after school had ended for summer break. As a father, I find this timeline of communication inexcusable. I especially find it inexcusable to provide this information after a school's deadline to cancel a tuition has passed, leaving a parent little recourse to make change. read more

Great education including strong sports, arts and academics. Teachers and staff really know the students and prepare them for whatever the future may hold. read more

This is our third year at this school. Our oldest child is now reading years above her grade level and placed in advanced math. Our toddler is thriving in the nurturing environment of the preschool. The culture is very welcoming for the parents and students. read more

LCDS is a college prep school. What it offers is a family-like community where you know your child will know and trust the teachers, staff and administrators and that they get the individualized attention they may need. I attended this school from kindergarten until graduation, so it is true that I have little perspective on what a public school would have offered me. I am sure I'd have had more diversity, had more classes available in the curriculum, etc. But what LCDS does, it does well. It prepares students for college. When I arrived at college as a Freshman I was by far the most prepared in most of my Freshman classes. When my first-year seminar teacher asked which books off a list we had read, I was the only one who had read most of them and that was because of the English classes they have at LCDS. I was also more prepared for research paper writing and rigorous amounts of homework. I also was one of the few Freshman not terrified to raise my hand in class, something that came from many years in small class sizes in high school where class discussion was expected and encouraged. When it came time to pick a college they really encouraged me and lead me towards the best school I could get in to and would make me the happiest. My college advisor was a part time college professor after all, so we were getting college-level education. What I left the school with was a love of learning and a curiosity about life. Learning had been vigorous, but not tedious. The teachers treated us with respect, and we did the same for them. The students all knew each other, even their siblings and parents, and you did not spend your time worrying about getting detention or someone writing nasty things on your locker, in fact, when I was there there weren't even doors on the lockers and there probably still aren't. It's a community of trust and respect where you learn that school isn't a punishment, but an exciting journey. Would we have benefitted from having more classes offered like home ec? Yes, but that is something you must decide between when choosing between a public and private school. And where the school lacks in diversity (which is to be expected with most Private schools, frankly), it made up for in giving the students more a taste of culture by offering many non-Western history options, trips to the ballet and symphony, and interesting assembly speakers. It also provided more flexibility in learning and less of the "teach to the test" mentality. Private schools protect and prepare, and LCDS does both of those in spades. read more

Lancaster Country Day School is my Alma mater, but my love for the school is not just because of that. I have two children in the Lower school who are happy, challenged and thriving on a daily basis. The quality education and top notch caliber of the teachers (true not just for Lower school) is unique to the school and its commitment to excellence. I cannot express how deeply satisfied we are to be part of this welcoming, warm community of parents and teachers. We are blessed to be able to send our children to such an incredible and loving place. I know that LCDS will give my children the skills and tools they need to balance academics, social interests and extracurricular activities. I have carried that balance with me throughout my life and know I would not be the person I am if I had not gone to LCDS. I would highly recommend the school to any family looking for the best education in Central PA from Preschool to 12th grade. read more

I did not attend this school, but I had several types of exposure to this school, enough to form a fairly solid, consistent opinion. When I was in 9th grade, my parents allowed me to take a tour of several high schools, including this school, J.P. McCaskey, and Lancaster Mennonite High I chose to attend McCaskey, the public school, and I think this was the right decision for me. I know less about this school for the earlier grades, but I did visit it a few times. I have a close friend who attended it during middle school and high school, and my brother, 7 years younger, also attended it for middle school only. Lancaster Country Day School is a mixed bag. Academically, it offers notably stronger reading, writing, and history education than the public schools, but, in my opinion, it lags behind in all other areas, including mathematics, science, music, and it lags even farther behind in "supplementary" areas such as home economics and industrial technology, in which the public schools excel. Language instruction can be better or worse, depending on the individual teacher--but in my opinion language instruction is poor in both schools, as it is started too late. Course offerings, at the high school level, are generally inferior to J.P. McCaskey, which offers an extremely aggressive AP Course curriculum. One major downside of LCDS Academics, however, is that students are given much more homework than in the public schools--and in my opinion, they don't necessarily learn more as a result. This places children solidly on the "achievement" track, teaching them to value hard work for the sake of hard work, as opposed to being driven by learning and productive output, and learning to find ways to achieve maximum results with minimal work. In short, I think this school prepares people to be hard workers rather than intelligent, efficient workers. One of the main advantages of going here rather than the public schools is that the students here are treated with more respect. It's a smaller school, and there are fewer disciplinary problems, so students are generally given the benefit of the doubt and not required to follow strict and bureaucratic policies such as carrying hall passes and requiring permission to go anywhere in the school. This creates a much more pleasant day-to-day environment in the school. Personally, I think it is a huge advantage--kids will behave more responsibly and will mature more quickly if they are given more responsibility. LCDS understands this and acts accordingly. Another main advantage of LCDS, especially over the public schools, is college advising. College advising in the Lancaster City Schools is exceptionally poor, to the point where the guidance counselors are often a hindrance, rather than help, to the college application process. LCDS doesn't have exceptional or outstanding advising, but from what I know it is generally solid and competent, unlike the public schools. --- All this said, LCDS has some major downsides, besides just the weaker academics in certain areas, which is why I have boldly chosen to give it only 3 stars. The student body here is notably less diverse than the student body of the public school system, both in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, values, and other characteristics. I think that exposure to diversity at a young age is critical for one's education if one is to be successful in this modern world. A student attending LCDS will have many advantages over students attending public school, but the lack of exposure to diversity will be a hidden handicap. My most successful friends to attend LCDS did not attend it continually through from elementary school through high school, but rather, had some mixed experiences, attending here for some period and attending public school at some point. It's also worth mentioning the culture of illegal drug use here. From my experience, there was significantly less marijuana use here, compared to Catholic High, and perhaps less even than the public schools. Also, notably, there was significantly less drug dealing, relative to Catholic High (which seems to be the drug-dealing capital of Lancaster schools). However, there was significantly more cocaine use among the student body, than there was in the public school. I knew of very little cocaine use in the public school. This may be a function more of socioeconomic status than anything else. And take this with a grain of salt--it's my own anecdotal evidence from my rather narrow network of friends who attended this school. It could just be a random result of whom I happened to know (or not know). That said, LCDS is a good option available. It complements some of the strengths and weaknesses of the public school system. However, it is not uniformly better than the public schools, and indeed, offers some substantial drawbacks--it is not ideal for everyone, even not considering the cost of tuition. read more

Lancaster Country Day School has exceeded my expectations as a parent of two children in the lower school. The teachers, the curriculum, the facility, and the community all promote an environment that encourages learning. Actually, learning is celebrated at Lancaster Country Day. read more

Our son started attending LCDS last year in 6th grade and it has been a wonderful experience for him. The staff and teachers made him feel right at home. As a parent, I am confident he is getting the best education possible in Central PA and beyond. read more

I am a McCaskey graduate and was always a big believer in public schooling. By the time my first child was several years into a public elementary school, it became readily apparent that he was not going to be sufficiently challenged academically. I looked into our options and was confident after a day at LCDS that it would offer a fabulous education. I also felt a definite passion from the teachers and administration that I had not experienced in our current school and was impressed by variety of extra-curriculars. After experiencing five years of Country Day with two very different children, I have never doubted our choice. In fact, I am constantly impressed by the high level of academics and teachers who consistently challenge the kids and foster a sense of confidence and independent thinking. Additionally, sports have been a positive experience, starting with club sports at the elementary level which enable the kids streamline their practices into the school day instead of over the dinner hour. Having also experienced middle school, I am encouraged by the continued strength of the academics, consistently strong teachers and quality athletics. And perhaps most importantly, when issues such as bullying arise--which are going to happen at this age at any school--the head of the middle school deals with them firmly but fairly. He truly "gets" the middle-school mindset and wants--and expects--the students to not only be good students, but to be good people. Ultimately, I send my kids to LCDS every day knowing that the school will have high expectations from them socially, academically and extra-curricularly. Faculty members are passionate about teaching, genuinely care about the students and, on a daily basis, shore up the same values that I strive to instill in my kids at home. read more

It is the very nature of the web that all are enabled to express their opinions, regardless of the factual basis of said opinions. Alex Z clearly opines about that which he does not know. "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of the facts and evidence" - John Adams. We joined the LCDS family just over a year ago. The experience has been eye opening. From minute one, teachers, advisors, coaches and various administrators consistently went the extra mile to address various concerns regarding our children's education and personal growth. In the past, we had experienced the Montessori education system and the Public School system here in Lancaster. And although our children were well taken care of at these schools, the level of teacher involvement and student accountability does not compare with LCDS. Alex Z. writes: " One major downside of LCDS Academics, however, is that students are given much more homework than in the public schools--and in my opinion, they don't necessarily learn more as a result. This places children solidly on the "achievement" track, teaching them to value hard work for the sake of hard work, as opposed to being driven by learning and productive output, and learning to find ways to achieve maximum results with minimal work. In short, I think this school prepares people to be hard workers rather than intelligent, efficient workers." I'm not sure where to start with this post, but I will say that yes, my children have learned to work very hard. They've also learned to budget their time accordingly. They've also learned to not back down from academic challenges. This "hard work" is actually preparing them well for success on the SATs, in college, and in the real world. There aren't any shortcuts in life. You pretty much reap what you sow. Bottom line: Our children are having a high school experience drastically better than the one they would have had at the very good, but very large public school. Yes, they do alot of homework. For example, my daughter read 24 novels for one class as a Sophomore last year! I can't help but believe that she was "working both intelligently and efficiently". read more

It is a shame that so many were unaware of this less than flattering review of LCDS for well over a year, but that is the essence of the web. In fact this exact sort of thing has given rise to businesses such as "Reputation Defender." I hesitated to comment here as it has been a cornerstone of mine to not give ignorance the attention it clearly stives for but this was so inaccurate and misguiding that something had to be said. This is the second year for our two daughters at LCDS and we couldn't be more pleased. This isn't a school...it is a COMMUNITY of caring people who all seem to genuinely share in having our girls best interests at heart in every way. It is an indescribable feeling to have had the good fortune of finding a place for our girls to be educated where said educators are actually DAILY active participants in helping us as parents raise strong, bright, well adjusted, independent thinking, ready for the world, children. I am someone who has very high (unrealistically high at times) expectations and I can say with conviction that LCDS just might be the ONE thing in the last 10 years that has exceeded my expectations. There were too many inaccuracies in the 8/3/10 review to be able to address them all but there was one that stood out that I want to close with by refuting with FACTS. LCDS has the most professional, the most individually-tailored and the most attentive college guidance program in the five county surrounding area. 53 colleges visited LCDS last year to meet with students. At the time, LCDS was preparing to graduate A CLASS OF 44!! Colleges know the patterns and statistics - that LCDS students outperform their peers regionally - and seek out LCDS students. read more

Five stars says it all! Our son has been attending LCDS for six years. We have had the opportunity to watch him grow and flourish in an atmosphere where his teachers truly know him. They care deeply about his intellectual growth, his character development and his well being. They know him. As a parent, we know this is impossible in any other setting in Lancaster County. We are fortunate to have great schools within our county, but LCDS is something special. We send him to school each day knowing he will be challenged, he will be respected, and he will be happy. One time I asked a faculty member at Country Day why they moved here to teach when they could clearly be hired anywhere. I will always remember the response. "it's a joy to teach kids that want to learn". This is why we can attract, hire and maintain the very best faculty. If you walk down a hallway and happen to overhear students sitting around one of our harkness tables, you would hear children engaged in meaningful discussions who are unafraid to speak their opinions. They are secure in the surroundings because they are respected by their peers and teachers. If your child is just beginning their educational trek, or you are thinking of a change or transfer, the admissions department is welcoming and friendly. Make sure you ask them about open locker policy, our great athletics, MUN, lower school iPad use, Spanish trips, Skype with other schools, or our great SAT scores. read more

Our child just began the 1st grade at LCDS this year and after a few months we are thrilled with his social and academic success. At first we had some reservations about joining LCDS but the caring support that our child has received from the LCDS community has made us very happy with our choice. As a family that relocated from a different type of community and a public school setting we are able to weigh and evaluate the differences and while this type of environment might not be right for all students, or families, we could not be any happier. The 2 teachers that are primarily working with our child are amazing women who are always available and responsive to any and all concerns. In addition, we have had the pleasure to interact with many of the other school professionals and to date we have not had one uncomfortable experience. We are grateful that this option exists in Lancaster and we are looking forward to many more good experiences at LCDS. read more

The notion that a good curriculum - whether IB or AP - can compensate for the difficulties America's public school problems and cuts create is simply not logical. If curriculum could solve our public school problems and trends, the problems would have been solved a long time ago. Our public school teachers and administrators deserve great praise, but blocking a close look at a private school like LCDS with false arguments and blocking parents' ability to judge for themselves does a disservice to the cause of good education, both regionally and around the country. read more