FAQs

Our student-teacher ratio is 6:1. That leaves lots of time for one-on-one interaction and personal attention. We also have resource teachers at almost every level for math and reading.

Admission to KSDS is open to all Jewish students, regardless of synagogue membership or denominational affiliation. Some of our families are members of Chizuk Amuno. Others belong to other local synagogues. KSDS families might be Orthodox or Reform, Conservative or Reconstructionist. We welcome to all members of the Jewish community. In that sense we are a community school.

All KSDS families are welcome to take advantage of the many opportunities for learning, celebration and service that our synagogue community offers. Browse the Chizuk Amuno website to get a feel for the congregation.

In a word: efficiency. With bright students and motivated master teachers, we are able to move at an advanced pace through every element of our dual curriculum. Further, our curriculum is integrated. Students learn the mechanics of writing in language arts classes and in Hebrew. History, art, social studies, geography and Judaics, we approach them all from a number of angles. The general studies and Judaic studies programs complement each other.

A KSDS education is challenging and enriching. This unique blend makes a KSDS education a great preparation for the most challenging high schools in the Baltimore area. It’s also part of the reason why Schechter kids bring a level of energy to learning that makes them stand out in high school, college and beyond.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade are our biggest entry years, but our school invites families to apply to any grade. The beginning years of Middle School bring more new faces to our classrooms. Our Hebrew and Judaics Bridges Program makes it possible for new students who haven’t attended a Jewish Day School to enter any grade at KSDS. Our Apply page contains all the information you’ll need to get the admission process started.

Our Bridges Program is designed to give individual attention to highly motivated, academically successful students entering any grade who have little or no background in Hebrew and Judaics. New students build their knowledge of Hebrew and Judaic studies together and join the rest of the class for general studies periods.

Your future kindergartener should be five years old by September 1 of the year you wish him or her to enter. See the Apply page for more details on application procedures for Kindergarten through Grade 4.

No. Some of our students come from interfaith marriages. If a child’s birth mother is not Jewish, the child must convert to Judaism to enroll at KSDS.

KSDS welcomes families of all approaches to Jewish home life.  We are a kosher school and facility. We teach the background, purpose and practice of kashrut and present observing the laws as a mitzvah in our daily lives. Chizuk Amuno ensures that the entire synagogue and school facility maintains the laws of kashrut every day. The hot lunch program is run out of our kosher kitchen. All children are permitted to bring dairy or vegan (parve) lunches and snacks to school.

We ask parents to respect others’ practices when hosting parties outside school. We request that parties not be scheduled on Shabbat or Jewish holidays, and that non-kosher food not be served. You will receive specific guidelines when your child enrolls.

Seventy percent of our graduating class goes on to Baltimore area independent high schools. Thirty-percent enter public schools. Visit the Outcomes page for specific high school destinations.