North Shore Country Day School

What North Shore Country Day School does

North Shore Country Day School (NSCD) is a private, nonprofit, coeducational JK-12 independent day school founded in 1919 and located on a 16-acre campus in Winnetka, Illinois, approximately 16 miles north of Chicago. The school serves 505 students organized across three divisions—Lower School (190 students, JK-5), Middle School (130 students, grades 6-8), and Upper School (185 students, grades 9-12)—with a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio delivered by 76 teaching faculty of whom 74% hold advanced degrees and who average 15 years of teaching experience. NSCD's core program is a college-preparatory liberal arts curriculum structured around an enduring "Live and Serve" motto, with 18 AP courses, electives in engineering, computer science, entrepreneurship, and the arts, a no-cut athletics policy, and a structured Equity, Diversity & Inclusion curriculum differentiated by division. Student outcomes include a 100% college admission rate, with the Class of 2026 receiving offers from 145 institutions across 38 states, DC, Switzerland, and the UK.

The school's revenue model is primarily subscription-style annual tuition, with pricing tiered by grade level from $26,550 (Junior Kindergarten) to $45,000 (Grades 9-12), inclusive of technology fees and book costs. Secondary revenue streams include a 76-year-running summer day camp for ages 3-13, hourly-priced before- and after-school care (Early Raiders and Later Raiders), and enrichment classes. The annual operating budget is $20M, supported by $2.5M in need-based financial aid (20% of students, average family contribution $22,000), a $42M endowment, and $1.5M in annual giving. The underlying technology stack is operational rather than product-facing: Finalsite for web CMS, Blackbaud's MySchoolApp for the student portal, Clarity for financial aid processing, and Scoir for college admissions visit scheduling. NSCD is governed by an independent Board of Trustees with no parent company or private equity ownership, and is accredited by ISACS and a member of NAIS, LMAIS, the Independent School League, and IHSA.

Name

North Shore Country Day School

Legal name

North Shore Country Day School

Website

https://nscds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

North Shore Country Day School is a 107-year-old private, nonprofit JK-12 independent day school in Winnetka, Illinois, serving 505 students from 53 Chicago-area ZIP codes with a 7:1 student-teacher ratio, 18 AP courses, and a 100% college admission rate on a $20M annual operating budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

Keywords

• Private school education
• College preparatory programs
• JK-12 independent school
• Before and after school care
• Summer day camp programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnetka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Annual tuition payments from families for JK-12 education. Tuition ranges from $26,550 (Junior Kindergarten) to $45,000 (Grades 9-12). Includes technology fees and book costs.
2. Summer Programs: Day camp programs for ages 3-13, running for 76 years, with activities in arts, sports, creative play, and water activities.
3. Before & After School Programs: Early Raiders morning care (7:20-8 a.m.) and Later Raiders after-school program (2:50-5:30 p.m.) for JK-5th grade. Pricing is hourly for pre-registered and drop-in care.
4. Enrichment Classes: After-school enrichment classes including Hip Hop dance, Ninja Warriors fitness, Chinese for Beginners, Scratch programming, and Friday Pop-Up classes with varying prices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

North Shore Country Day School is a private, nonprofit, junior kindergarten through 12th-grade college-preparatory day school located in Winnetka, Illinois, serving approximately 505 students across Lower School (JK-5), Middle School (6-8), and Upper School (9-12). The school delivers a holistic education combining rigorous academics (including 18 AP courses), required athletics and arts participation, college counseling, summer day camp programs, before- and after-school care, and service learning through a Live+Serve Lab makerspace.

Product overview

North Shore Country Day School is a junior kindergarten through 12th grade college-preparatory institution organized into three academic divisions: Lower School (JK-5), Middle School (6-8), and Upper School (9-12). The school offers a holistic educational experience combining rigorous academics with co-curricular activities including athletics (Raiders), fine arts (performing and visual arts), and service learning through the Live+Serve Lab. Supporting programs include comprehensive college counseling, summer day camps (76 years running), before/after-school care (Early Raiders/Later Raiders), and an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion program with division-specific curricula. The school partners with Global Online Academy to expand course offerings and uses Clarity for financial aid processing and Scoir for college visit scheduling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lower School (JK-5)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% college admission rate for seniors applying to four-year colleges and universities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)coreOthersNSCD is accredited by ISACS, meeting their standards for independent schools. ISACS provides accreditation services and professional development for member schools.
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)coreOthersNSCD is a member of NAIS, the national organization representing independent schools and providing resources, advocacy, and professional development.
• Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools (LMAIS)coreOthersNSCD is a member of LMAIS, a regional association supporting independent schools in the Lake Michigan area.
• Independent School League (ISL)coreOthersNSCD competes in the ISL of the greater Chicago area along with Latin School of Chicago, Woodlands Academy, Willows Academy, Elgin Academy, Francis W. Parker, University High, Northridge Prep and Morgan Park Academy.
• Illinois High School Association (IHSA)coreOthersNSCD belongs to IHSA which sets interscholastic competition guidelines and organizes state tournaments for varsity teams.
• Global Online Academy (GOA)strategicTechnology or IntegrationNSCD is part of a distinguished group of independent schools affiliated with GOA, which empowers students to discover strengths and passions through globally connected, personalized learning. Students can take GOA courses to supplement NSCD offerings.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart: Independent all-girls college-prep day school and ISL co-member. Competes with NSCD for college-prep families in the northern Chicago suburbs with similar program breadth.
• Northridge Preparatory School: Independent Catholic day school for boys in grades 6-12 and ISL co-member. Directly competes with NSCD's middle and upper school divisions in the Chicagoland college-prep market.
• Elgin Academy: Independent PK-12 day school named as an ISL co-member. Comparable college-preparatory offering and tuition model, though serving a more suburban Fox Valley geography.
• Roycemore School: Independent PK-12 college-prep day school in Evanston, IL on Chicago's North Shore. Competes with NSCD in the same geography for similar JK-12 college-preparatory families.
• Francis W. Parker School: Independent JK-12 college-prep day school in Chicago explicitly named as an ISL competitor with NSCD. Highly comparable on curriculum, athletics, college outcomes, and target family demographic.
• Latin School of Chicago: Independent PK-12 day school in Chicago and ISL co-member. Directly competes with NSCD for the same Chicagoland families with a similar college-preparatory, no-cut/competitive athletics profile.
• University High School (U-High): University of Chicago-affiliated independent high school and ISL co-member. Competes with NSCD at the upper-school level for college-prep families in the same Chicago market.
• Willows Academy: Independent all-girls Catholic day school and ISL co-member. Directly competes with NSCD's middle and upper school offerings for college-prep families in the Chicago market.
• Morgan Park Academy: Independent PK-12 day school in Chicago named as an ISL competitor. Comparable college-preparatory curriculum, athletics participation, and tuition-driven revenue model.

Regional players

• Lake Forest Academy: Independent college-prep day and boarding school on Chicago's North Shore. Competes with NSCD for college-prep families from overlapping North Shore ZIP codes with similar tuition and academic positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1HBQFHjBdFqcc2_6mBaQ3Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/NSCDS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/north-shore-country-day-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/nscds/?hl=en

Compliance3 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 North Shore Country Day School