Fast Facts
- Coed, College Preparatory
- 500 Students Grades Preschool-12 Under One Roof
- Average Class Size -15
- 7:1 Student/Teacher Ratio
- 100% college acceptance to four-year colleges/universities
- Full Day Kindergarten Since 1987
ACADEMICS
- High academic expectations in a supportive environment
- Individual attention to all students
- Emphasis on extensive reading and writing in a variety of styles
- Wide range of teaching methods to stimulate creative and critical thinking skills
- Preschool-12 curriculum committee ensures sequence/flow
Lower School
- Skill-based grouping in math and reading
- Education of the whole child: art, music and physical education are as important as academics
- Spanish begins in Preschool
- Focus on the social and emotional growth of all students
- Instruction is thematic and interdisciplinary
Middle School
- Strong advisory program, fostering close teacher-student relationships
- Literature-based English instruction and classroom discussion
- Integrated teaching of study skills throughout curriculum
- Foreign Languages: Spanish, French, Latin
- Exposure to and encouragement to participate in the fine and performing arts (Art, Chorus, Ensemble, Theatre)
Upper School
- Advanced Placement courses in 11 subjects
- Independent Study and Independent Senior Projects for advanced work beyond curriculum
- Foreign Languages: Spanish, French, Latin
- Outstanding college preparation, particularly in reading, writing, testing and discussion skills
- International Model United Nations course for seniors. LCDS is one of six schools in the US invited to participate in this program held yearly in The Hague
ARTS
- LCDS has an extraordinary arts program with inspired, professional artists in theatre, ceramics, fine arts, dance, and music
- Private music lessons are also available during the school day
ATHLETICS
Preschool-5th grades have physical education classes three to four days a week and 6th-8th grades three days a week. Interscholastic sports begin in Grade 6. Our No-Cut Policy for most sports ensures all students wishing to play a sport will be included on the team. LCDS is a member of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association which allows us to compete in district playoff games. LCDS has a cooperative agreement with the School District of Lancaster where McCaskey students can play lacrosse for LCDS and LCDS students can participate in football, track and field, cross-country, wrestling, and swimming for McCaskey.
COLLEGE GUIDANCE
Comprehensive 3-year college guidance program designed to find the appropriate college match for each student. Our graduates report that they are exceptionally well prepared for college.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
LCDS is deeply committed to connecting children to the world around them. Our unique school community encourages students from all grade levels to engage in a wide variety of community service projects, from small to large scale and local to international. All Upper School students may earn an “Outstanding Community Service” designation on their transcripts for individual projects.
DIVERSITY
- Economic - 20% of Students receive financial aid
- Geographic - Students from 6 counties and 35 School Districts
- Racial -12% Students of color
FACULTY
- Over 50% of Faculty hold advanced degrees
- LCDS faculty has been recognized nationally and internationally through such programs as the Fulbright-Hays, Klingenstein and Christa McAuliffe Fellowships, N.E.H. Seminars in the U.S. and Europe, as well as “The U.S. Chemistry Olympiad.”
- LCDS currently has two fully-endowed faculty chairs to honor outstanding teaching at the School.
PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
This program is designed for children who are three, four, or young five year olds and consists of half-day and full-day options.
TRANSPORTATION
- Transportation provided by public school districts within a 10-mile radius of LCDS
- Transportation also available from Berks and Dauphin Counties
- Carpooling may be arranged from most other areas
TUITION & FINANCIAL AID 2005-2006
Please call the Admission Office for tuition details.
Financial aid is based on demonstrated need. Approximately $1 million in financial aid awarded in 2005-2006, which includes outreach scholarships such as the Lancaster Community Scholarship and the Lancaster Day Care Scholarship
SENIOR CLASS PERFORMANCE 2004-2005
| # of High School Seniors | 35 |
| % of Seniors Receiving High School Diploma | 100% |
| Students Planning to Attend a 4-Year College | 100% |
| National Merit Scholarship Honors | 17% |
| SATs: Seniors Taking SATs | 100% |
| Average SAT Score | 1238 |
| Math | 599 |
| Verbal | 639 |
| ACT | Most seniors take ACT, but LCDS does not track percentages |
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES FOR CLASSES OF 2003, 2004 & 2005
Albright College
Alfred University
Allegheny College
American University
Arcadia University
Auburn University
Bard College
Barry College
Bates College
Bethune-Cookman College
Birmingham-Southern College
Boston College
Bryant College
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Cabrini College
California University of PA
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Charleston Southern University
Cheyney University of PA
Clark University
Clarkson University
College of Charleston
College of William and Mary
College of Wooster
Colgate University
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Curry College
Daniel Webster College
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Dickinson College
Duquesne University
Earlham College
East Stroudsburg University of PA
Eastman School of Music
Eckerd College
Edinboro University of PA
Elon College
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Fairfield University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Flagler College
Florida Southern College
Florida State University
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin Pierce College
George Mason University
Georgetown University
Gettysburg College
Gordon College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
High Point University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hofstra College
Houghton College
Indiana University, Bloomington
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Johnson and Wales University
Juniata College
Kansas State University
Kutztown University of PA
Lafayette College
LaSalle University
Lebanon Valley College
Lehigh University
Lewis and Clark College
Lock Haven University
Long Island University: Brooklyn Campus
Loyola College of Maryland
Lynchburg College
Macalester College
Malone College
Manhattan College
Mary Baldwin College
McDaniel College
Mercyhurst College
Messiah College
Miami University: OxfordCampus
Millersville University of PA
Moravian College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount St. Mary’s College
Muhlenberg College
New England Culinary Institute
North Carolina University
North Carolina State University
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Ohio State University (Columbus)
Ohio Wesleyan University
Old Dominion University
Pace University
Penn State University Park
Point Park College
Providence College
Radford University
Regis University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rider University
Robert Morris College
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rocky Mountain College
Roger Williams University
Rowan College
Salisbury State University
Sarah Lawrence College
Shippensburg University of PA
Simmons College
Simon’s Rock College of Bard
Skidmore College
Smith College
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College
St. Joseph’s University
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
St. Vincent College
State University of New York Buffalo
Stonehill College
Suffolk University
Susquehanna University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
The State University of New York
Trinity College
Tufts University
Tyler School of Art at Temple
UNC of Wilmington
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Hartford
University of Maryland
University of Mass Amherst
University of Mass Lowell
University of Michigan
University of New Hampshire
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg
University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown
University of Richmond
University of Tampa
University of Vermont
University of Wisconsin
Ursinus College
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Wake Forest University
Wagner College
Washington College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington and Lee University
Wells College
West Chester University of PA
Western Carolina University
Western Connecticut State University
Wheaton College (IL)
Widener University
Wingate University
Wittenberg University
Worcester University
