From Our Head of School

Welcome!

This year, Almaden Country Day School celebrates its 35^th year of inspiring confident, well-rounded, capable learners. While our instructional methods and materials have evolved since the '80s to meet the demands of the 21^st century, our missions remains true to the vision of our founder, Nan Hunter. At ACDS, we discover the gifts in every child. 

Children thrive at Almaden Country Day School because we strive to provide them a balanced, high-opportunity learning environment, one where invention, wonder, imagination, resilience, empathy and agency are as important as finding the answers, because these qualities bring children both happiness and success in their lives. In today's stressful, fast-paced, ever-changing world, Silicon Valley needs Almaden Country Day School. 

And our key to shaping poised, engaged, successful graduates — over 95% of whom are admitted to private high schools to which they apply — is the balance we strike at ACDS between joy and rigor. We believe these two goals are not mutually exclusive. To the contrary; it's absolutely possible to challenge and stimulate children and prepare them to thrive in college-preparatory high schools, while helping them love learning and have fun at school. We've been doing it for 35 years!

Is your family a good fit for Almaden Country Day School? Well, if you believe that childhood is to be cherished, not accelerated; if you want your children to be as interested in problems as they are in solutions; if you seek a close-knit community that celebrates character, creativity, ingenuity, play and determination as much as achievement; and if you want to foster in your children a love of learning as well as potent academic skills -- then yes, you could be an ACDS family. I encourage you to explore our site and, better yet, visit us and see why children thrive here.

With warm regards,

Dr. Olaf Jorgenson
Head of School