The Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley prides itself on being a true community day school. We embrace Jewish diversity and deliver top-notch general and Judaic education to our students. We welcome students from families at every level of observance and affiliation, including unaffiliated, who wish to provide their children with a Jewish education. The JDS, together with our local clergy, support and strengthen the Lehigh Valley Jewish community -- one that enables a community school to flourish in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect across all the streams of Judaism.
School Overview
Mission and Values
The Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley provides an extraordinary education for students. We integrate general studies with Hebrew and Judaic studies. Students learn to think critically through a variety of lenses and learning experiences. JDS students acquire the knowledge, confidence, and skills to move successfully on to new schools, to be thought leaders, and to contribute to their communities.
Our inter-disciplinary approach prepares students to think about their world through multiple perspectives. They are equally proficient at writing, practicing scientific experimentation, studying Jewish and literary texts, speaking Hebrew, engaging with the arts, developing healthy bodies, and much more. Our outstanding faculty and solid curriculum facilitate learning experiences that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving.
A true community day school, the JDS is home to a unique community within the greater Lehigh Valley Jewish community. All of our families, regardless of their backgrounds or denominational affiliations, feel at home. We value diversity of thought both inside and outside of the classroom and teach our students to understand varying perspectives, articulate different positions, and engage in respectful discourse.
Respect, responsibility, effort, and kindness are the principles that guide our day-to-day lives at the JDS. Our students are kind, compassionate, and thoughtful individuals who are being primed to contribute to shaping the Jewish community of the 21st century, putting the values learned in study into practice in and out of school.
Academic Excellence
The Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley has provided children with an outstanding education for more than 60 years. From pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, students benefit from a well-rounded curriculum that builds a strong foundation in mathematics, science, social studies, literature, writing, Hebrew language, Jewish studies STEAM, music, Spanish, art, physical education, library, and consumer life skills.
The Jewish Day School is proud of our academic accomplishments. During the past years, our students have consistently ranked as a high-achieving private school based on academic performance. Historically, each year our seventh and eighth graders take the PSAT, with results that outperform their peers in eleventh and twelfth grade in high school.
Student / Teacher Ratio
The student/teacher ratio at the JDS far surpasses other private institutions in the area. Our student/teacher ratio is four students for every one teacher. This is one of the prime reasons our children perform so well. Individualized attention forms a strong basis for the educational experience offered at JDS.
Our Jewish Perspective
The Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley prides itself on being a true community day school. We embrace Jewish diversity and deliver top-notch general and Judaic education to our students. We welcome students from families at every level of observance and affiliation as well as unaffiliated Jews who wish to provide their children with a Jewish education. The JDS, together with our local clergy, support and strengthen the Lehigh Valley Jewish community -- one that enables a community school to flourish in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect across all the streams of Judaism.
Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Traditional, Zionist and/or Unaffiliated - the JDS is a home for everyone in the Lehigh Valley Jewish community who wants a Jewish education for their child.
Israel Education
Jewish education, including religion, history, culture, and peoplehood, are all connected to Israel. As a Jewish community day school whose objectives include comprehensive Jewish education, we find Israel an integral part of our Jewish curriculum.
How do we deliver Israel Education successfully to our JDS students? We start with integrating Israeli education into our formal schedule - every grade has specific Israeli culture/history classes. Starting with our early childhood program, students spend their day surrounded by an environment in which Israel plays a prominent role. Our Israeli teachers and shlichim develop close relationships with the students. We are developing ways to teach and discuss more controversial topics, which will assist our students in creating well-informed conclusions of their own. And an Israel trip sometime in the future is not just a dream!
Israel-education is taught year-round in every grade with a curriculum that builds upon the previous year to increase knowledge, critical thinking, stronger connections, and an understanding of the past, present, and future of Israel.
Israel education takes place both in and out of the classroom and includes parent communication, student-made videos, holiday events, Hebrew immersive classroom, arts and crafts, Israeli History and culture lessons, biblical and modern Hebrew, and Judaic classes.
Teachers of all subject areas and all grades collaborate to integrate Israeli education in meaningful ways. Students, as active learners, also take on teaching moments for other students in the school to share what they have learned.