Academics
At GDS, our dynamic education experience is powered by joyful, engaged students and guided by talented teachers who help students uncover and nurture their unique gifts, while instilling the value of working for the good of others.
Our Divisions
Lower School
PRE K - GRADE 4
Middle School
GRADES 5 - 8
High School
GRADES 9 - 12
[At GDS], [t]here was an energy around debate, around new ideas, around challenging old ideas, and around the importance of intellectual exchanges.
Andrea Elliott '91
Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist
At GDS, students engage with real-world challenges, take ownership of their learning, and develop the critical, creative, and collaborative skills needed to thrive. Our curriculum fosters a deep appreciation for the arts, humanities, and sciences as essential and interconnected ways of understanding the world.
The college process at GDS is a wonderful adventure of self discovery and personal growth, and we encourage students to navigate it from a place of agency and curiosity, resulting in a healthy college search and application experience.
Our Stories
![Rubell-Inspired Journeys Into Identity]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1765809589/gdsorg/esmhydv2ukdl1hkywcn5/rubellthumb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1765809589/gdsorg/esmhydv2ukdl1hkywcn5/rubellthumb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1765809589/gdsorg/esmhydv2ukdl1hkywcn5/rubellthumb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1765809589/gdsorg/esmhydv2ukdl1hkywcn5/rubellthumb.jpg","width":1000}])
![GDS Juniors Explore Youth Voting Trends Through Independent Study and Podcast]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1749508905/gdsorg/habac65snwle1m9hxkmn/podcasts.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1749508905/gdsorg/habac65snwle1m9hxkmn/podcasts.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1749508905/gdsorg/habac65snwle1m9hxkmn/podcasts.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1749508905/gdsorg/habac65snwle1m9hxkmn/podcasts.png","width":1000}])
![4th Grade: Leading with Kindness]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1749506559/gdsorg/iebxfvyqdmwudlxcs6xf/4th_grade_Class_of_2033.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1749506559/gdsorg/iebxfvyqdmwudlxcs6xf/4th_grade_Class_of_2033.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1749506559/gdsorg/iebxfvyqdmwudlxcs6xf/4th_grade_Class_of_2033.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1749506559/gdsorg/iebxfvyqdmwudlxcs6xf/4th_grade_Class_of_2033.jpg","width":1000}])
![8th Grade: Here we go!]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1751664146/gdsorg/gaaqowqpelc8u7whkcwf/8thGrade_2025_Class_of_2029.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1751664146/gdsorg/gaaqowqpelc8u7whkcwf/8thGrade_2025_Class_of_2029.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1751664146/gdsorg/gaaqowqpelc8u7whkcwf/8thGrade_2025_Class_of_2029.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1751664146/gdsorg/gaaqowqpelc8u7whkcwf/8thGrade_2025_Class_of_2029.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1751664146/gdsorg/gaaqowqpelc8u7whkcwf/8thGrade_2025_Class_of_2029.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1751664146/gdsorg/gaaqowqpelc8u7whkcwf/8thGrade_2025_Class_of_2029.jpg","width":1800}])
![Maximizing Learning Opportunities: GDS Lower School Teachers Engage in Innovative Field Experiences]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1745978537/gdsorg/tl9tbzbylqwahgwou7h1/fieldtripsthumb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1745978537/gdsorg/tl9tbzbylqwahgwou7h1/fieldtripsthumb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1745978537/gdsorg/tl9tbzbylqwahgwou7h1/fieldtripsthumb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1745978537/gdsorg/tl9tbzbylqwahgwou7h1/fieldtripsthumb.jpg","width":1000}])
![Learning to See Through New Eyes for National Poetry Month]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1745963607/gdsorg/evibtdizqwpdby1uobgv/LS_poetry_2025.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1745963607/gdsorg/evibtdizqwpdby1uobgv/LS_poetry_2025.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1745963607/gdsorg/evibtdizqwpdby1uobgv/LS_poetry_2025.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1745963607/gdsorg/evibtdizqwpdby1uobgv/LS_poetry_2025.jpg","width":1000}])