When the nearby Franklin and Marshall Academy for Boys closed in the early 1940s, the Shippen School changed its charter and its name, and the eminent, independent, coed institution known affectionately as Country Day was born.
The name “Country Day” came from the pedagogical philosophy of the same name that was popular when the school was founded. The system held that physical activity and spending time outside in the fresh air and sunshine was a vital part of the whole educational economy. We still believe that, and besides physical education classes, students can participate in sports ranging from Lower School girls’ lacrosse to varsity chess.