Rockland Country Day School

Rockland Country Day School was a private coed college-preparatory school that served students in Pre-K through 12th grade. It was located in Congers, New York and was founded in 1959 as an alternative to public education in Rockland County. The school's stated mission was to "[bring] forth the best in every student by knowing and educating each of them as an individual." In 2019 the school was to have celebrated its 60th anniversary, but on August 20, 2019, the school announced it would be closing.^[2]

Rockland Country Day School
Location
34 Kings Highway Congers , New York 10920 United States
Coordinates	41.1482°N 73.9458°W / 41.1482; -73.9458
Information
School type	Private
Motto	E Radicibus Fortibus Floremus (From Strong Roots We Flourish)
Established	1959
Status	closed
Oversight	Board of Trustees
CEEB code	335281
Grades	PreK-12
Enrollment	1
Campus	Former Farm with Organic Garden and Forest
Campus size	20 acres (81,000 m2)
Colour(s)	Green and White
Nickname	RCDS
Team name	Cougars
Accreditation	New York State Association of Independent Schools[1]
Yearbook	Yes
Affiliation	None
Website	http://www.rocklandcds.org

History

The Rockland Country Day School was established in 1959 by a group of local community leaders including Pem McCurdy and Kendall Pennypacker,^[3] led by Prof. Charles Frankel of Columbia University. Originally located in South Nyack, New York, the school moved to Congers, New York when it outgrew its original location. The Congers location was sold to the Town of Clarkstown and the school leased the property back for a five-year term,^[4] however in August 2019, the school announced it would close due to declining enrollment and fiscal challenges.^[5]

Curriculum

RCDS focuses on an individualized approach to education for each of its students. The Pre-K through Grade 12 curriculum offered a variety of academics, arts and inquiry, with multi-age classes and opportunities for mentorship and leadership across the grades. They had relatively small classes, with a roughly 7-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

• Ken Be, lutist
• Han-na Chang, cellist
• Tyne Daly, actress^[6]
• Adam Gussow, blues harmonica player^[6]
• Isabelle McCalla, actress^[6]
• Lea Michele, singer/actress^[6]
• Ezra Miller, actor^[6]
• Keith Raniere, founder of self-improvement organization NXIVM and a convicted felon^[7]
• Johanna Rose, singer and founding member of Anonymous 4
• Sebastian Stan, actor^[6]
• Grace VanderWaal, singer/actress