Charles E Smith Jewish Day School

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (CESJDS) is an independent, pluralistic Jewish community day school in Rockville, Maryland, serving students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12. Founded in 1965, it operates two campuses—a Lower School and the Annette M. & Theodore N. Lerner Family Upper School—just outside Washington, D.C., which the school treats as an extension of its classroom.

CESJDS describes itself as more than a school students attend—it is a community where students grow from within, build lifelong friendships, and pursue their passions alongside dedicated faculty and staff. It is among the largest independent Jewish day schools in North America.

The school’s mission is to provide an outstanding, inspiring pluralistic Jewish education for students being raised Jewishly, welcoming entirely Jewish families, interfaith families, and families in the process of choosing Judaism. Its educational philosophy centers on a whole-child approach addressing academic, social-emotional, spiritual, and physical development, paired with a joyful, pluralistic approach to Jewish study and core values including K’dushah (Holiness), V’ahavta L’rei-akha (Loving your Neighbor), and Kehillah (Community).