Walk into the Lower School and you immediately sense joy, love and learning. It’s a happy place: teachers and students respect one another and are genuinely curious about the world around them.

Students are taught to ask questions (lots of them) and that it’s OK to make mistakes—in fact, sometimes that’s the best way to learn. All Lower School classes incorporate the IB Primary Years Programme, one that provides hands-on opportunities inside and outside the classroom.

Guided by knowledgeable teachers, students gain a strong foundation in academic subjects while also discovering the importance of being kind, telling the truth and being a good friend. Teachers hold students to high expectations, which they rise to and exceed. Ultimately, students leave Lower Schools as confident learners.

SDS is a unique community that values curiosity, creativity, and inquiry. Students come to school excited and eager to learn and grow. Also, the small class sizes really allow a community to form within the classroom, leading to deep relationships between children and their teachers and peers.

- Katie Glass, 4th Grade Teacher