Maumee Valley Country Day School (MVCDS) has been ranked second in the state for private schools by the website Niche.
Niche’s Best Private High Schools list ranks private high schools in all 50 states based on an assessment of government and public data as well as surveys taken by teachers, students, parents and alumni.
With 515 students, MVCDS is a preschool through 12th-grade, nonreligious private school on South Reynolds Road in South Toledo. The school boasts a 9-to-1 student/teacher ratio. There have been 38 reviews written on the Niche website about the school and they are all positive.
Head of School Gary Boehm said the rigorous academics and the diversity of students are what set the school apart and give it its excellent rating. The school received an A for academics and an A- for student culture and diversity.
“The academic rigor is high and our students are smart and talented and our teachers really challenge them,” Boehm said. “We have some of the highest ACT scores in our area.
“Our diversity is rich and it’s a really warm and caring environment,” he added.
The school adheres to a child-centered environment, unlike other schools that gear events and curriculum toward adult preferences, Boehm said. The teachers get to know students and there are fewer rules and regulations. Student behavior is managed by setting high expectations and instilling feelings of responsibility, Boehm said.
“Everyone loves to live by their own expectations and responsibilities,” Boehm said. “It’s challenging and engaging. We challenge kids.”
As an example, Boehm pointed out the school’s Winterim program going on this month, which challenges students to explore and move beyond their limitations.
As part of Winterim, a group of students is in South Africa, where they are journaling and doing a community service project. Another group is focused on screenplay writing. Other students are studying the legal system and medical research.
“It keeps kids engaged by having innovative and interesting programs,” Boehm said. The school will host the program three times over the next year, he said.
Currently, Boehm is traveling around the country visiting alumni. He said that graduates of Maumee Valley Country Day School tell him the school has had a major impact on them, a big influence being the Winterim program.
Parent Amy Yustick has three children at MVCDS, two in the lower and one in the middle school. Yustick said the key behind the school’s success is that teachers work with the children at their level to help them achieve their personal best.
“The administrative team and faculty are genuinely interested in each child and in helping that person become the best person they can be. That takes a variety of forms depending on the grade,” Yustick said.
The student-to-teacher ratio is so small that teachers and administrators can get to know every student, which helps eliminate that sense of competition, she said. Yustick moved her family to Switzerland for a year and her children said they missed the diversity at Maumee Valley.
“My kids love going to school there, so they look forward to it every day,” Yustick said. “I was having lunch with my seventh-grader a month ago and asked what he liked about school. He was able to articulate it, he said: ‘All the homework is fun and engaging. I look forward to my classes every day.’ They all feel that way. It’s engaging and fun and they learn by doing.”
Founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in western New York, it was moved to Toledo in 1884 where it became The Smead School for Girls. In the 1930s, the school became co-educational and adopted its current name and location.
For more information, visit mvcds.org.
