Citizen, Scholar, Steward
Academics
Daily Schedule
Prioritizing a healthy schedule for our Bearcats
KCD’s Daily Schedule
KCD introduced a new daily schedule in the fall of 2024. With our mission at the heart of the new design, the research-backed updates to our daily routine in each division were thoughtfully selected with the health, wellness, and academic success of our students at the very center.
KCD is committed to cultivating a safe, supportive, and academically rigorous environment that promotes curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, as we prepare our dynamic 21st-century learners for success in the classroom and beyond.
The School Day
The school day will begin at 8:30 am and end at 3:35 pm with a late start for students on Wednesdays (9:00 am–3:35 pm) to accommodate morning faculty meetings and professional development opportunities.
Because many KCD faculty members serve as coaches, tutors, advisors, and leaders of extracurricular activities around campus, after-school meetings are difficult for many to attend. The new late start day on Wednesdays will allow for 100% of faculty to attend critical team meetings and professional development opportunities, without sacrificing their involvement in community activities.
Morning & Afternoon Child Care
Morning child care will be available for students in JK-8th grades on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 7:30-8 am and on Wednesdays from 7:30-8:30 am. Morning child care will cost $5 per day.
We will continue to offer Bearcat Den after school until 6 pm for Lower School students. With the afternoon Bearcat Den hours being reduced by 30 minutes, our intention is that the morning fee will not impact the total added fees for families needing child care from 7:30 am through 6 pm.
Upper School students may arrive at school as early as 7:30 am at no extra cost.
We will continue to offer Bearcat Den after school until 6 pm for Lower School students. With the afternoon Bearcat Den hours being reduced by 30 minutes, our intention is that the morning fee will not impact the total added fees for families needing child care from 7:30 am through 6 pm.
Upper School students may arrive at school as early as 7:30 am at no extra cost.
Research in support of later start times
The School Year
The calendar year for the 2025-26 school year will look much like the 2024-25 school year. Click here for the most up-to-date version of our 2025-26 Major Dates.
Shared Community Time
Establishing shared community time across all three divisions has been an essential step as we prioritize community building and cross-divisional collaboration. In every division, there is a space dedicated to “Community Time.” While this time is not always used for gathering the entire JK-12 community, it has opened the doors for a variety of collaborative opportunities that were not previously possible. Community time may be used for all-school activities, division-specific activities, special projects, guest speakers, advisory time, extra help, club meetings, and more.
The Lower School Schedule
The Lower School schedule features elements that benefit both our young learners and educators.
In the new schedule, our Lower School community has increased “homeroom” time, allowing for additional literacy and mathematical instruction to help match developmental benchmarks.
Our young learners also experience fewer transitions throughout their day. This adjustment helps limit lost instructional time due to transitions and affords opportunities for deeper engagement with learning.
The Lower School adopted a carousel model for our specials classes. In a carousel model, one subject (Art, Science, Spanish, Maker, Library, or Music) is taught for several days in a row to the same group of students. Then, another subject from within the carousel (Art, Science, Spanish, Maker, Library, or Music) is taught for several days, and so on. This model further supports deeper learning, project-based learning, and cross-curricular collaboration.
Lower School Schedule Examples:
The Middle & Upper School Schedule
The Middle and Upper Schools operate on a rotating block schedule.
Block schedules are very common nationwide, and many schools in the Louisville area use a variation of this model.
KCD’s rotating block schedule features a 7-day rotation of classes with four 75-minute periods per day and three trimesters in the school year. This schedule format maintains our existing rigorous academic program, with the class periods reorganized to better serve the needs of our students and faculty.
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The longer class periods allow for deeper learning, project work, experiential learning, alternative assessments, and more total class time.
- Students experience each “block/class” period four times over the course of the 7-day rotation.
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This schedule addresses student wellness through:
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A later start time
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Fewer transitions throughout the day, with only four classes per day
- With four classes per day, students have less daily homework, allowing them to fully engage in extracurricular activities while still getting a healthy amount of sleep
- Added agency time (community time, lunch/recess, and extra help, etc.), which provides opportunities for students to enhance their independent time management skills
- A stronger advisory program that supports community-building and student/teacher relationships
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Extra help time is available each day, with all faculty available to meet with students during this period. Extra help time operates much like office hours. In addition to the extra help time each school day, students are still able to meet with faculty before school, after school, and when free time aligns during the school day.
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Community time is available each day (except Wednesdays)
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The 7-day rotation ensures variety in the flow of the day and week for students and faculty.
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For example: Students will not have the same first class of the day every Monday or the same last class every Friday.
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The adoption of this schedule format in both the Middle and Upper Schools has improved cross-divisional functionality and increased opportunities for collaboration for faculty and students.
I wish...
Students in the Middle and Upper Schools participated in an "I wish" campaign, where they anonymously shared the many things they wished their families, teachers, and peers knew about their lives and school experiences. Below are some of the responses that were submitted, which further illustrate why our focus on health and wellness is so important.
MIssion
Kentucky Country Day School challenges its students to achieve their highest level of academic excellence and to grow into honorable people of confidence and integrity. We inspire personal growth through a diverse community and participation in arts, athletics, and community service. By doing so, Kentucky Country Day School prepares its students to live successful lives and make meaningful contributions to society. This mission is summed up in our motto: Citizen, Scholar, Steward.
KCD Connect
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4100 Springdale Road • Louisville, KY 40241 • (502) 423-0440 • Fax (502) 423-0445
Kentucky Country Day School is a private JK–12, coeducational school located on a spacious 80+ acre campus in Louisville, KY. KCD combines a rigorous academic program with a wide variety of athletic and extracurricular programs. Our outstanding faculty creates an intimate learning environment that is both challenging and supportive.