History

La Jolla Country Day School traces its beginnings to the Balmer School, founded in 1926 by Louise C. Balmer. A small cottage on Coast Boulevard served as the schoolhouse for the four children who attended the primary school that first year. They learned about reading, writing and arithmetic in an atmosphere where individualized attention was valued.

Nearly three decades later, Balmer and a group of dedicated parents saw the need for an independent day school, which would include middle and upper school classes as well. The school now known as La Jolla Country Day School received its charter in 1955 and moved to its current location in 1961.

The campus has seen many changes since the first class of seniors graduated in 1964. Where there once stood only the administration building and Lower and Middle School classrooms, there is now the Upper School campus, a library, an outdoor amphitheater, a double gymnasium, a state-of-the-art theater, tennis courts, a fine arts buildings, computer and science labs, and additional playing fields, all funded generously by dedicated Country Day parents.

Students from communities all over San Diego and even all over the world now make up the age 3 through Grade 12 population of Country Day, where excellence and character have been fostered from the beginning.