Private School in Dutchess County, NY

Dutchess Day School, Millbrook:
Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, Dutchess County, NY is an independent, co-educational elementary & middle school that serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through to Grade 8. Millbrook is conveniently located in the Hudson Valley, 1 hour & 30 minutes drive upstate of NYC. As well as Dutchess County, our school serves Columbia & Putnam Counties, NY, and Litchfield County, CT. Dutchess Day School provides a strong academic foundation, values children’s natural curiosity, and fosters an enduring enthusiasm for learning. In an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, students are encouraged to take intellectual, athletic & artistic risks, to develop independence, confidence, and imagination.

Founded in 1955, our mission is to "nurture each child in mind, body, and spirit and guide students toward responsibility for themselves, one another, and the world around them". The school seeks diversity and respects the individuality of each child. Students share their talents through collaboration and service to the school, the community, and the larger world. 

The school seeks motivated students of good character who have the potential for academic success and who will contribute to the school community. Our student body is representative of diverse economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

- Preschool program:  The curriculum focuses on the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of preschool children.

- Lower School program:  The curriculum sets a strong foundation in reading, writing & mathematics, as well as the arts, science and technology, and physical education.

- Upper School program:  Academic subjects include science, mathematics, social studies / history, English, foreign language (French, Spanish, Latin), computers, art, music, and physical education.

Quality Faculty:
A talented and dedicated faculty maintain high standards within a balanced curriculum that challenges students to discover their unique strengths. Experienced teachers create an enriched academic program which allow students to discover their unique strengths. 

Each teacher extends his or her contributions beyond the classroom leading many enriching field trips including extended trips to Costa Rica, Washington D.C., and Cape Cod.

At Dutchess Day School, all students participate in physical education classes during the school day, two to four times a week. The Physical Education program is designed to encourage physical activity and to promote good sportsmanship, co-operation, and respect for others. The goal is to engender a desire in each student to pursue lifelong participation in physical activity.

In addition to the physical education curriculum, upper school students (grades 5-8) may participate in an after school athletics program, in which DDS teams compete against teams from a number of regional private schools in New York and Connecticut.

Interscholastic Sports:

* Fall:  Field hockey, cross country, varsity and junior varsity soccer, occasional swim meetings.
* Winter:  Varsity and junior varsity basketball and volleyball, and squash.
* Spring:  Boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, tennis and golf.

With our main building, a nineteenth-century farmhouse, Dutchess Day School feels very much like a home. Our school is fully equipped, with two science labs, an art room, a music rehearsal studio, a library, a computer lab, a dining room / auditorium, and a brand-new preschool wing. The main building is surrounded by student- and parent-maintained gardens and overlooks a new gymnasium and six acres of athletic fields.

A second gym and an extensive lower-school playground sit atop a sledding hill and a play area for the upper school. Beyond, lie a pond, farmland, and forested hills that allow our teachers to extend their classrooms into outdoor exploration.