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Character
GO WITH COMPASSION
We’re committed to building strong character and teaching children about kindness, respect and empathy. -
Innovation
GO CREATE
Innovation isn’t an option, it’s a way of life. -
Enriched Learning
GO FURTHER
Learning happens in all ways at Graland in and out of the classroom. -
Inspiring Faculty
GO INSPIRE
Teachers connect with students encouraging them to reach further as lifelong learners. -
Hands-on Lessons
GO DEEPER
Creative techniques lead children to understand concepts in exciting ways.
discover a love of learning
discover a love of learning
Students who go Graland are the kind of forward thinkers who can go anywhere and do anything.
Since 1927 we’ve gone to great lengths to give every child the best education possible. Why? Because we want them to reach higher and go deeper. We want them to pursue excellence with passion and intent.
Graland serves Denver-area children starting in Preschool and from Kindergarten through Grade 8.
Our Community
Here, you'll never go alone.
Our school community is dedicated to bringing people together in a journey that lasts all the way through middle school graduation and beyond.
50
things to experience at Graland
Unique moments happen every day at Graland. Will your child go cross country skiing on our campus? Practice Spanish at a farmer’s market? Lead an assembly? Here are 50 things to look forward to.
News and Events
Graland Today
Recent News
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Grade 8: Learning With Momentum
In science class with Mrs. Jen Chen, eighth graders explored friction through a Skateboard Lab that brought physics off the page and into motion.Read More -
Grade 3: Rover and Out
In Lower School Science with Ms. Elise De Geus, third graders are studying space and how scientists explore planets beyond Earth. As part of this unit, students focused on Mars, learning how rovers are designed and programmed to travel across the planet’s surface and collect information.Read More -
Grade 2: Sum-thing Special in Math Class
Second graders in Mrs. Katie Mimnall’s class recently welcomed Mrs. Kelly Palma’s first-grade class into their classroom to teach them a math game called “Shut the Box.”Read More -
Grade 7: Growing Connections Beyond Campus
As part of Grade 7’s service-learning focus on intergenerational connections, students continue their partnership with A Little Help, an organization that connects volunteers with older adults to support aging well at home. The program gives students the opportunity to build genuine relationships while learning what it means to show up for others with care and consistency.Read More -
Pre-K: A Flurry of Innovation
Pre-K students kicked off their first Tinker Time challenge of the year with a snowy design adventure inspired by "Red Sled" by Lita Judge, a story in which a child’s red sled becomes an unexpected source of nighttime fun for a group of forest animals. After reading the story in the Gates Invention and Innovation Lab with Lower School Innovation Specialist Mrs. Elizabeth Leddy, students were challenged to design a sled for one of the animal characters.Read More -
Grade 4: Golden Sticky Notes, Growing Readers
In language arts with Mr. Cole Hamilton and Ms. Jessica Levy, fourth graders are diving into Book Clubs, a unit designed to help students read with purpose, discuss books thoughtfully, and communicate their ideas with confidence. As they read novels such as “Wink,” “Fish in a Tree,” and “Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus,” students practice the habits of strong readers.Read More -
Grade 5: A Curated “Kid-seum”
In Mr. Mike Willis’ history class, fifth graders stepped into the role of museum curators as they created mini exhibits showcasing one ancient Mesopotamian civilization: the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, or Neo-Babylonians. Their job was to research, design, and present an exhibit with artifacts that taught others about the significance and achievements of their chosen civilization.Read More -
Grade 8: Reflections From a Journey Through History
Earlier this month, eighth graders returned from their Civil Rights Trip to the American South, where they road tripped from Atlanta to Memphis, stopping in Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham along the way. After returning from the trip, eighth graders have been taking time to reflect on the people, places, and stories they encountered. Guided by a driving question they selected before traveling, from themes like nonviolence and youth activism to the power of community storytelling, students have been using their trip journals and additional research to create a culminating reflection project.Read More -
Breaking the Factory Model: Living the Learning at Graland
Seven large posters hang around the room: one on the back of the door leading to the next classroom, one on the door of a huge filing cabinet, four around the classroom walls, and one on the front whiteboard. Five of these posters contain color xeroxed pictures of Egyptian papyrus depicting various aspects of Egyptian life.Read More -
Live the Metaphor
I never knew a “ducky” could be so intimidating. For the first two days of our rafting trip, I eyed the inflatable kayak with a mixture of fear and anticipation, mostly fear.Read More
World Leadership School partnered with Confluences River Expeditions to coordinate five days on the Salmon River for independent school heads to reconnect with purpose. The river became a metaphor to deepen our learning about leadership in an experience that mirrored the Live the Learning philosophy of Graland’s educational founder, Georgia Nelson, a philosophy that brought learning to life for generations of Graland students by providing memorable, experiential, and impactful lessons. -
Meet Shaun Satterfield Graland’s New Head of Lower School
This fall, Graland welcomed Ms. Shaundell “Shaun” Satterfield as the new Head of Lower School, a seasoned educator and leader with more than two decades of experience in teaching, coaching, and equity-focused leadership. From her first days on campus, Ms. Satterfield has felt the energy and warmth of the Graland community.Read More -
The Road to Discovery: How Middle School Trips Bring Learning to Life
Read MoreFrom the first ropes course in fifth grade to crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in eighth, Middle School trips represent a progression that helps students see themselves as active participants in their learning and their world.
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Upcoming Events
Featured News Story
List of 1 news stories.
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Shaping the Future of Education: Graland’s Sphere Compensation Model Earns Further National Recognition
Graland has been awarded the 2025 Jeffrey Shields Innovation in School Business Operations Award for its faculty Sphere Compensation Model, a unique system designed to reward teachers based on professional growth and impact rather than tenure. The prestigious recognition was presented on February 26 at the 2025 NBOA Meeting in New York City, where Head of School Josh Cobb and Director of Finance and Operations Juan Botello accepted the award on behalf of Graland.Full Story
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
