Graland Country Day School

Graland describes its teaching philosophy as a whole-child, integrated approach centered on intellectual excellence and strong character. The school emphasizes foundational academic skills along with reasoning, questioning, initiative, and real-world application, while also intentionally teaching empathy, kindness, restorative justice, inclusivity, and community responsibility. Teachers are expected to model lifelong learning and use innovation, experiential learning, and creative strategies to prepare students to think critically, act with purpose, and lead thoughtfully.

For 2027-28 admission, Graland directs families to use its online application portal to start or continue an application, upload documents, and check the admission checklist; tours/open houses are offered but described as optional. The main application is due January 6, 2027, with required documents, student visit/play date, parent interview, and optional K-8 financial-aid application due January 27, 2027; decisions are listed for February 19, 2027 for Grades 6-8 and February 26, 2027 for Preschool/PreK, K-Grade 4, and Grade 5. Requirements vary by grade: Preschool applicants must be 3 by September 1, 2027, PreK applicants 4 by September 1, 2027, and Kindergarten applicants 5 by September 1, 2027; materials may include teacher recommendations, records/transcripts, short videos, K-2 assessments, Grade 3-4 cognitive testing, Grade 5-8 ISEE or SSAT, a student essay for Grades 5-8, student visits, and a virtual parent interview. Financial aid is need-based, processed through Clarity, available for Kindergarten-Grade 8, and not offered for Preschool/PreKindergarten. The site does not publish a waitlist policy or ranked priority categories; it only notes that late applications after the early-January deadline may be accepted for grades where spots may become available, and that siblings of current Graland students have an earlier sibling-admission timeline with applications due in early November and additional documents due by early December.