Dedham Country Day School

What Dedham Country Day School does

Dedham Country Day School (DCD) is a private, nonprofit, coeducational independent day school in Dedham, Massachusetts, enrolling approximately 310 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. Founded in 1903 as The Norfolk School (renamed to The Hewins School in 1922 and Dedham Country Day School in 1930), the school operates on a 20-acre campus with 160,594 square feet of indoor facilities, including two gyms, dedicated science labs, an Adams Lab featuring robotics equipment (BeeBots, Dash, Ozobots, Sphero Indi), a Maker Space with 3D printing, visual arts studios with pottery wheels and a kiln, a woodshop, a performing arts theater, and a library holding 12,000+ volumes. The curriculum blends academics, arts, athletics, and service learning, with 14 sports teams, 45 arts electives, 34 annual service-learning projects, and 40+ public speaking opportunities before graduation. A 1:1 technology program, in place since 2000, issues personal laptops to 6th graders who retain them at graduation, and a weekly STEAM sequence running from Pre-K through Grade 8 introduces coding and computational thinking.

DCD's revenue model is tuition-driven, with 2026-27 tuition ranging from $32,300 (Pre-K) to $54,000 (Grades 6-8) on an all-inclusive basis covering supplies, books, field trips, overnight trips, lunch, snack, and technology. Approximately $2 million in need-based financial assistance is awarded annually to 26-28% of students, with awards ranging from 22% to 95% of tuition. Supplementary revenue streams include extended day and after-school programming, private music lessons, the Horizons at DCD summer program, and philanthropic contributions via the Annual Fund and Together Campaign, with a corporate matching gift program. Pricing is supported by flexible payment plans (one, two, four, or ten payments) and a merit-based Hawk Scholarship for middle school applicants.

The school serves families across 29-32 towns and 6 Boston neighborhoods, with the heaviest concentration in Boston, Dedham, Dover, Milton, Needham, Newton, Wellesley, Walpole, and Westwood. Go-to-market is relationship-driven: admissions events run October through January with a January 15 application deadline and March 10 decision date, supported by the Ravenna online application system, personal campus tours, classroom observations, and Coffee and Conversation sessions with the Head of School. The student body is 37-38% students of color, 100% of 8th graders are admitted to one of their choice secondary schools, and the school maintains a 12:1 average learning group size across more than 85 faculty and staff alongside a Board of Trustees-led governance structure.

Name

Dedham Country Day School

Legal name

Dedham Country Day School

Website

https://dedhamcountryday.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dedham Country Day School is a nonprofit independent day school in Dedham, Massachusetts, serving approximately 310 students from Pre-K through Grade 8 across Greater Boston with a tuition-based, all-inclusive model emphasizing academics, arts, athletics, and service learning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

Keywords

• Private school education
• Independent day school
• Pre-K to grade 8
• Elementary education
• Secondary school preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dedham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments. Tuition ranges from $32,300 (Pre-K) to $54,000 (Grades 6-8) for the 2026-27 school year. All-inclusive covering supplies, books, field trips, overnight trips, lunch, snack, and technology.
2. Annual Fund and Campaign Donations: Annual Fund and Together Campaign donations provide consistent funding for school planning. Corporate matching gift program available.
3. Financial Assistance: Approximately $2 million in need-based financial assistance awarded annually to 26-28% of students.
4. Extended Day and After School Programs: Extended Day Program and after school programming including private music lessons available for additional fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dedham Country Day School is a private, nonprofit, coeducational independent day school serving approximately 310 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 on a 20-acre campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. The school delivers an all-inclusive tuition-based educational program balancing academics, arts, athletics, public speaking, and service learning, supplemented by Extended Day care, a Private Music Program, and the Horizons at DCD summer academic and enrichment program.

Product overview

Dedham Country Day School is a private independent day school offering a Pre-K to Grade 8 educational program. The core product is the comprehensive academic curriculum balanced with arts, athletics, and service learning. Key product modules include the Lower School (Pre-K to Grade 5) and Middle School (Grades 6-8) programs, supported by specialized offerings in STEAM, technology integration (1:1 device program), visual arts, music, woodworking, drama, athletics (14 sports teams), public speaking, service learning, and extended day programming. The school also provides secondary school counseling including the SmoothTalk interview preparation program, and operates the Horizons at DCD summer camp. Financial assistance is available through need-based grants and the merit-based Hawk Scholarship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8 Educational Program
• Extended Day and After School Programming
• Private Music Program
• Horizons at DCD Summer Program
• Hawk Scholarship

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of 8th-grade students receive admission to one of their choice schools
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beaver Country Day School: Beaver Country Day School is an independent day school in Chestnut Hill, MA serving Grades 6-12, with a comparable progressive, project-based pedagogy targeting Boston-area middle school families.
• Belmont Day School: Belmont Day School is a Pre-K through Grade 8 independent day school in Belmont, MA, serving a similar Greater Boston demographic with comparable tuition, balanced curriculum, and 8th-grade secondary school placement focus.
• The Rivers School: The Rivers School is an independent day school in Weston, MA serving Grades 6-12, competing for the same Boston-area middle school families with strong secondary school placement outcomes.
• Shore Country Day School: Shore Country Day School is a Pre-K through Grade 9 independent day school in Beverly, MA, offering a similarly balanced program and competing for North Shore families in the broader Boston independent school market.
• Meadowbrook School: Meadowbrook School is a Pre-K through Grade 8 independent day school in Weston, MA with a comparable mission, tuition structure, and balance of academics, arts, and athletics for Greater Boston families.
• The Fenn School: The Fenn School is a boys' independent day school in Concord, MA serving Grades 4-9, competing for the same Boston-area feeder families with similar athletics, arts, and secondary school counseling offerings.
• Nashoba Brooks School: Nashoba Brooks School is a Pre-K through Grade 8 coeducational independent day school in Concord, MA, with a comparable developmental philosophy, small class sizes, and secondary school placement track record.
• Charles River School: Charles River School is a Pre-K through Grade 8 independent day school in Dover, MA — geographically adjacent to DCD and serving overlapping suburban Boston feeder communities.

Broad incumbents

• Buckingham Browne & Nichols: BB&N is a larger, well-established Pre-K through Grade 12 independent school in Cambridge, MA. It competes in the same Boston market with broader grade coverage and a much larger endowment than DCD.
• The Cambridge School of Weston: The Cambridge School of Weston is an independent day school in Weston, MA serving Grades 9-12, feeding from DCD's secondary school placement pipeline and competing for the same Boston-area tuition-paying families.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/dcds
• Xx.com/dcds1903
• Facebookfacebook.com/DedhamCountryDaySchool

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dedham Country Day School