Charlotte Country Day: At A Glance

Charlotte Country Day's main campus feels like that of a small liberal arts college -- until you spot a line of kindergarteners coming in from recess.

Located on two campuses in south Charlotte, one is home to the lower and upper schools while the other houses the middle school. Founded in 1941, it's the oldest and largest independent school of its kind in the area and the eighth largest in the country. The main campus features an Imagination Garden, where lower-school classes read, write poetry, and sketch. Nearby, young students coordinate a soccer match while students in a second-grade classroom learn how to tell time. Beaming parents leave the school in the middle of the day after watching their children perform in the third-grade play.

Adults appear to be giants in the areas of the school that are sized for the youngest students. The Junior Kindergarten-2 art classroom has miniature easels, desks, and sinks. The same is true in their cafeteria. Parts of the upper school's fine arts center, on the other hand, are reminiscent of a world-class museum. You won't find student artwork tacked to a bulletin board here. Instead the work is displayed in a large gallery space. Among the many features of the center are a two-story dance studio (because one story just isn't enough) and a spacious painting studio where huge windows look out on the picturesque campus.

In another large art room, upper-school students wearing sweaters and scarves or flowing dresses work on their graphic design assignment. Others hang out at the school's gazebo during their free period. Since there's an honor code that requires students to respect each other's property, open backpacks are scattered throughout the hallways and outside classrooms. "I'm going to miss that if I go to a big school next year and won't be able to leave my stuff everywhere," jokes senior Avery Harrison.