Seattle Country Day School

What Seattle Country Day School does

Seattle Country Day School (SCDS) is a private, independent K-8 school located on a 2.4-acre campus in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, founded in 1964 to serve intellectually gifted children. The school enrolls approximately 425 students across kindergarten through grade 8, drawn from 47 ZIP codes across the greater Seattle metropolitan area, and is staffed by roughly 82 employees including faculty, of whom approximately 82% hold a master's degree or higher. Its core academic product is an inquiry-based, project-driven curriculum with an average class size of 18 students, supplemented by the proprietary Synapse social-emotional learning program, an integrated technology and arts track covering robotics, 3-D modeling, laser cutting, programming, and visual arts, a Middle School electives catalog of 45+ offerings, an athletics program that registered 278 students in 2024-25, and a service learning program that produced more than 1,000 hours of community engagement in 2024-25.

The school operates a tuition-driven revenue model with annual fees of $39,392 (K-3), $43,218 (grades 4-5), and $46,089 (grades 6-8) for 2025-26, supplemented by usage-based fees for Extended Day ($12/hour), Lunch ($8.75 per meal through Green Sprout Foods), transportation (~$2,000 per student per year one-way), and grade-specific activity and trip fees. Need-based financial aid of approximately $1,600,000 is allocated each year. Distribution is fully direct-enrollment: families apply through the Ravenna online platform, attend tours, Open House, and Student Visit Days, and contract directly with the school. Governance rests with a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees (no parent company or external owner), and the institution has produced measurable outcomes including 74 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists among alumni since 2010 and consistent placement of graduates into selective Seattle-area high schools and elite universities.

Name

Seattle Country Day School

Legal name

Seattle Country Day School

Website

https://seattlecountryday.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Seattle Country Day School is a private K-8 independent school in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1964 to serve approximately 425 gifted children through inquiry-based academics, social-emotional learning, and integrated technology and arts programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

Keywords

• Gifted education
• K-8 independent school
• Inquiry-based learning
• Social-emotional learning
• Private school education

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments. Tuition varies by grade level: Grades K-3: $39,392; Grades 4-5: $43,218; Grades 6-8: $46,089 for 2025-26 academic year. Payment options include one payment, three payments, or ten payments. An enrollment deposit is required with the enrollment agreement.
2. Activity and Program Fees: Additional fees for camps, trips, Extended Day program, lunch program, and Winterim activities. Camps and Trips: $200 (grade 4) to $3,500 (grade 8). Extended Day: $12/hour. Lunch Program: $8.75/day. Winterim: $700-$1,900 per season.
3. Transportation Services: Bus service to various Seattle metropolitan areas at approximately $2,000 per student per year one way (or $4,000 round-trip). Free Queen Anne neighborhood shuttle available.
4. Financial Aid from External Sources: School distributes approximately $1,600,000 in need-based financial aid for 2025-26 academic year, funded through tuition and charitable donations including Annual Fund and Auction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Seattle Country Day School is an independent K-8 school delivering inquiry-based education specifically designed for gifted children across grades K-8. The school combines a rigorous academic curriculum with the proprietary Synapse social-emotional learning program, athletics, technology and arts, and enrichment programming such as class trips and Winterim. Tuition is the primary revenue source, with annual fees ranging from $39,392 for K-3 to $46,089 for grades 6-8 in the 2025-26 academic year.

Product overview

Seattle Country Day School offers a unified K-8 educational program specifically designed for gifted learners, combining inquiry-based academic instruction with specialized programs including The Synapse Program (social-emotional learning), Technology and Arts, Athletics, Extended Day aftercare, Lunch Program, Transportation Services, and Class Trips/Winterim. The school operates as a single integrated program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 74 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists since 2010
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mary's PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mary's Place for service learning and community outreach. Students engage in service activities that foster lifelong commitment to service and see themselves as agents of positive change.
• City FruitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService learning partnership where students participate in fruit-related community service activities and food security initiatives.
• The Sophia WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService learning partnership supporting the organization's mission through student volunteer activities and community engagement.
• Food LifelinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for food bank volunteer activities where students pack fruit and participate in hunger relief efforts.
• Aegis LivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents visit Aegis Living facilities as part of service learning to build intergenerational connections and community engagement.
• Seattle Children's TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerField trip destination where students experience professional theatre productions as part of arts and cultural education.
• City of SeattlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for park maintenance and environmental stewardship. Students care for local parks in partnership with the City of Seattle as part of service learning.
• Seattle CascadesminorOthersAlumni-owned professional ultimate frisbee team. SCDS community members invited to watch professional games at Memorial Stadium each summer.
• RavennacoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline application management platform used for all application submissions, tour registrations, and admissions event management.
• Green Sprout FoodsminorOthersExternal vendor providing school lunch program with vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options at $8.75 per meal.
• Camp BurtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOvernight class trip destination for grade 4 students on Vashon Island for environmental education and team-building activities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University Prep: Seattle independent school serving grades 6-12 with a strong college-prep reputation. Competes for similar academically oriented Seattle-metro families.
• The Nueva School: Independent K-8 (and now K-12) school in the Bay Area specifically designed for gifted learners. Closest national analog for SCDS's niche gifted-education focus and inquiry-based curriculum.
• Eastside Preparatory School: Independent K-12 school on Seattle's Eastside with a similarly rigorous, individualized learning approach. Directly comparable for families choosing between Eastside and Queen Anne options.
• The Bush School: Independent K-12 school in Seattle emphasizing progressive, inquiry-based education. Directly comparable in pedagogy, geography, and target family demographic.
• The Overlake School: Independent K-12 school on the Eastside with similar progressive, student-centered approach. Comparable tuition tier and target demographic.
• The Northwest School: Seattle independent 6-12 school with progressive, project-based pedagogy. Competes for the same academically advanced Seattle families.
• Lakeside School: Seattle independent school widely cited as a top high school destination for SCDS graduates. Both compete for the same Seattle-metro gifted/college-prep family segment and share inquiry/holistic-education philosophies.
• Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences: Seattle independent 6-12 school frequently listed as a high school destination for SCDS graduates. Comparable tuition and progressive, inquiry-oriented curriculum.

Others

• Ravenna Solutions: Admissions platform provider used by SCDS and many peer independent schools. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but useful context for understanding the SCDS admissions tech stack.

Broad incumbents

• Country Day School (various — e.g., Charlotte Country Day, Cincinnati Country Day): Network of independent country day schools sharing similar naming, K-8/12 progressive pedagogy, and tuition tier. Comparable operating model even though geography differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/seattlecountryday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-country-day-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/seattlecountrydayschool/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Seattle Country Day School