Miami Country Day School (MCDS) is a private, non-denominational, co-ed Preschool–12 college preparatory school in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, near Miami Shores, just north of the city of Miami. The school has been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Mariandl Hufford is the institution's Head of School. History Miami Country Day School began in 1938 as an elementary boarding school for boys and was founded by Luther B. Sommers and C.W. Abele. In the early years, the school was known as The Miami Country Day and Resident School for Boys. Through the 1950s and 1960s, day students were enrolled. In the 1970s, Miami Country Day became co-educational and the boarding program was phased out. The boarding rooms were converted into classrooms to make space for the growing student body. Originally a K-8 program, the school expanded to include an Upper School and graduated its first 12th-grade class in 1981. The "Spartans" began to participate in a wide variety of competitive sports such as golf, soccer and volleyball. Academics The school's enrollment is approximately 1,280 students. Class size in the Lower School ranges from 8–24 depending on grade level. Annual tuition varies by grade and ranges from $24,000 to $37,000. The school has a large international student community. With 47% of its students born abroad (and more than 75% of parents born abroad), MCDS is one of the most international schools in Miami and features an extensive language department. MCDS's team for the Junior Engineering Technical Society TEAMS competition has, for two years in a row, ranked nationally. In 2007 MCDS was the 1st-place winner of the competition and in 2008 the JETS team placed 20th in their division. Athletics The following sports are offered to boys at Miami Country Day School: The following sports are offered to girls at Miami Country Day School: Athletics administration and staff Chuck W. Sennett, director of athletics, BB (admin) Bryan Parizo, associate athletic director, Golf Christopher Mark Hayes, middle school athletic director, XC Anthony Haderer, assistant athletic director Chris L. Polite, assistant athletic director, FB Eric Scheingoltz, director of aquatics, USA Swimming & Interscholastic head coach, swim, WP Aristides Atoa, strength and conditioning coordinator Michelle A. Cordero, head athletic trainer, MS, ATC Anthony Reyes, assistant athletic trainer Joseph Hernandez, office manager Athletic history 2006 varsity football team had one of the top 10 ranked offense in the state of Florida, regional playoffs appearance. 2014-2019