About

We are FCDS

Meet the Moment

FCDS is where young boys prepare to become leaders who Meet the Moment; high-achieving men of civility, dignity and honor who turn their purpose and passions into impact, choose a greater good over personal gain, and rise to every occasion with confidence, courage and compassion. Here, those moments could be an everyday event like delivering a speech, or a pivotal turning point like learning to accept defeat with deference and grace.

Our balanced and challenging program is designed to help each student expand his desire and ability to acquire knowledge, capture his imagination, stimulate his curiosity and creativity, and enhance his self-esteem and respect for others. Each boy’s individual development is encouraged in an environment that anticipates the future while appreciating the past.

Our History

List of 3 items.

  • Educating Boys since 1936

    Originally located on Unquowa Road in downtown Fairfield, CT, FCDS opened with 26 boys.

    The School grew quickly in its early years, and in 1949 the need for more space prompted the acquisition of the Bronson Estate, the current home of the School. The historic main building of the School was originally the home of Timothy Dwight, minister of Greenfield Congregational Church, and later president of Yale University. Isaac Bronson then purchased the property and expanded the estate to become the Bronson Homestead. Many of the original architectural details remain as part of the beautiful historic main building of the School today.

  • A Commitment to Excellence

    Throughout its history, Fairfield Country Day School has maintained its commitment to excellence by advancing a dynamic curriculum that keeps with the times as academic philosophies, practices and outcomes evolve. The School serves boys in grades Kindergarten through Ninth, in three focused divisions: the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools.

    Fairfield Country Day School is incorporated in the state of Connecticut and is governed by a twenty-one-member Board of Trustees. The school is accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools and approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education. FCDS is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Fairchester Independent Schools, and the International Coalition of Boys’ Schools.

  • National Recognition

    Fairfield Country Day School has been recognized by the Smithsonian Institute for its participation in the laptop program and by the Council for the Advancement of Education for the School’s exemplary development of voluntary support.

    • Above the Blue Door

Fairfield Country Day School was founded in 1936 by Laurence W. Gregory, a 1909 graduate of Yale University, "...to provide superior academic instruction to boys in an environment that fosters the scholastic and extra-curricular activity of each boy."

Core Competencies

  • Scholarship

    Our goal is to ensure proficiency in each discipline, especially those the future demands. As a school for boys, we also value participation in the arts and athletics. Attending to boys’ needs requires a balance between traditional teaching methodology and new educational trends that only experienced practitioners like ours can provide. Approaches include interdisciplinary teaching, experiential education, student-driven teaching environments, use of technology, and fostering intellectual curiosity. We create a lifelong love of learning in each boy.

  • Resilience

    FCDS students become adaptable, resourceful and responsive to varied experiences and outlooks. Exposure to setbacks promotes personal and academic growth, and allows boys to meet future challenges with remarkable poise. As we like to say, “The freedom to fail. The cool to own up to it.”

  • Stewardship

    Our boys acknowledge and act on social, political, economic, and environmental concerns on both local and global scales, and become citizens who consistently engage in meaningful service to others.

  • Leadership

    Leadership is a responsibility that fosters gentlemanly bearing and strong interpersonal relationships among peers, faculty and staff, as well as those outside of our school’s community. Boys are given numerous opportunities to take initiative.

  • Digital Citizenship

    We promote the ethical and judicious use of tools to accomplish a variety of goals. Among those should be the ability to access, evaluate and share content responsibly. With these tools, FCDS students learn to engage productively and positively in multiple spheres, ranging from the personal to global.

  • Empathy

    FCDS students are curious about and celebrate the diverse ideologies, perspectives, and opinions of others. They are respectful and value the full spectrum of humanity.

  • Collaboration

    By collaborating, students develop their potential for learning. Through cooperation, boys learn to consider others’ perspectives. Working together fosters teamwork, empathy, adaptability, and listening skills.

  • Critical Thinking

    An FCDS student develops critical thinking skills by learning to evaluate and analyze information, asking meaningful questions, and reasoning systematically. In doing this, our boys are able capable of solving problems—and spotting them before they arise—independently and collaboratively. Critical thinking fosters curiosity, and equips FCDS boys with a competitive edge.

  • Creativity

    FCDS provides an environment that cultivates each boy’s desire to explore and dream, which enables him to pursue or find his passions. Our goal is to foster each boy’s innate imagination, allowing him the freedom to create original work, problem solve, innovate, and one day call his own “moon shot.”

  • Communication

    An FCDS boy communicates effectively through oral, written and digital methods of communication. The ability to a be a thoughtful and confident speaker, as well as a perceptive listener who can read between the lines, enhances a boy’s 21st century skills.

FCDS Traditions

List of 4 items.

  • Public Speaking

    Clear and effective personal communication is considered an essential component of a Fairfield Country Day School education. Every FCDS student participates in the public speaking program. Younger boys recite poems. Middle and Upper School boys respectfully debate current issues in all school assemblies. Students in eighth and ninth grade write and deliver their own speeches to the school body. Every voice is heard. Every voice is strengthened.

  • Family Style Lunch

    One day, your son will attend a lunch interview to discuss his future and everyone at the table will be impressed by how composed he is. Our family-style lunch will be the reason why. This is when we all come together on a communal basis and dine family-style. The boys have assigned seats, with a mix of boys from each grade, and a teacher at every table.

    There are many factors that make our lunch unique. Before lunch begins, a non-denominational grace is said by all. During the first seating, a manner-of-the-week is suggested by a young student and fourth grade students serve as waiters. The second lunch seating incorporates boys in grades 5 – 9. During the course of the school year, each boy has the opportunity to serve as a waiter and to be seated with every teacher. The benefits we all derive from this experience are numerous, but most importantly it gives teachers and students a forum to come together and 
    reinforces the concept of community while fostering respect for individuals. 
     
    We value this time within our busy days.

  • Link Days

    Link Days occur at least twice a year and foster a sense of community and mentorship at FCDS by pairing together students from different grades. For example, seventh graders may spend the morning reading with first graders, and fifth graders may work on art projects with Kindergarteners. Regardless of the specific projects, all of the boys have the opportunity to bond with a student from a different division. These connections remain throughout the school year and often over the course of many years.

  • Advisor Program

    The mission of Fairfield Country Day School’s Advisor Program is to provide each student in grades six through nine with a resource of faculty support for both academic and personal reasons. Advisor groups consist of six to eight students and one faculty member. The groups meet on a daily basis for group discussion and individual students meet with their advisor on a regular basis. In addition to being an important resource for the boys, there is also an element of fun that brings the entire advisor program together: the spring Wiffle Ball Tournament. The Wiffle Ball Tournament has become an annual tradition that faculty and students enthusiastically participate in on Friday afternoons throughout the spring.

Motto -

We Are Judged by Our Deeds

Honor Code -

Integrity, Scholarship, and Respect

Fairfield Country Day School

2970 Bronson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824