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Academics

...We are united in pursuing intellectual inquiry, academic excellence, integrity, and service to others. We inspire each student to become ambitious, compassionate, and courageous.   

--excerpt from the Foothill Country Day School Mission

Are the academics challenging at Foothill? Yes. Are our students prepared for the best high schools and colleges in the country? Yes.

Our focus is on helping children love school by engaging their capacity to wonder, think, and do good. When you visit our campus, it is obvious: our students want to come to school, and they don't want to leave at the end of the day. The magic is in how we get there:

  • Our learning plans are intentionally designed to be age appropriate, from preschool - grade 8.  We assess children and meet them where they are academically, encouraging them to be the best version of themselves, and to be academically ambitious. When the data shows us that a child is struggling in core subjects, we provide support with services such as a reading specialist.   
     
  • Teachers work in teams to provide a cohesive and engaging academic and social-emotional experience. We start with social foundations in preschool, then a heavy emphasis is placed on the on the core subjects of reading, writing and math in lower school. By the time students are in grades 6-8, they have the foundation they need to dig deeper academically, make choices about what they want to study, and take leadership roles.  
     
  • Our teachers are experienced and highly qualified with 94% of the teaching faculty having either a master's, doctorate, or teaching credential in addition to their bachelor's degree. You won't find first- year teachers here.   
     
  • Classes sizes are kept small (rarely more than 20 in a class in grades K-6) and our student - teacher ratios are even smaller. 
     
  • Meaningful homework is phased in at age appropriate increments. In preschool - grade 2, we only ask that you read and practice math facts at home. Students at this age are getting a long school day, and we expect they will be exploring play and other interests after school. Structured homework begins in 4th grade, and by 6th grade students are taught to manage their time with homework from multiple subjects.   
     
  • Subjects are taught by specialists, not generalist teachers. Classes such as science, art, music physical education, technology, and Spanish are taught by those who are natives to that space and who love that subject.  For example, our science teacher has a degree in molecular biology, our music teacher has an MA in music education and all of our Spanish teachers are native speakers. 
     
  • Public speaking is a key experience in a Foothill education. In preschool, we begin with basic language and communication skills. By kindergarten students are having their first opportunities to speak in public. As they years progress, opportunities for children to develop confidence in this skill include daily speeches in Community Meetings, poetry recitation and oral reports, and performing in main stage productions.   
     
  • Leaders learn here, and we intentionally offer an array of opportunities for children to learn those skills.  We expect that our students will become leaders in whatever field they choose to pursue, whether it is as a scientist, a business owner, or an artist. We also know that it is not always the A student who becomes a leader in the world.  It is the students who developed skills in academics, cultural understanding, and communication.   

We encourage you to explore the academic curriculum for each grade level using the navigation in the blue box.