CDS Scholars Fund

CDS Scholars Fund


At Chatham Day School, we firmly believe that access to a quality education can have a transformative effect on a child and his or her community. The CDS Scholars Fund helps to make it possible for academically gifted, low-income students from New Jersey’s urban school districts to attend Chatham Day School. The fund covers all of the costs associated with a student’s attendance at CDS, including tuition, transportation, and all school-related expenses.

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Chatham Day School’s Commitment to Diversity

Socio-economic diversity has always been a priority at Chatham Day School. One of the ways CDS fulfills this priority is by enrolling a number of highly-qualified students whose families do not have the resources to pay independent school tuition. Since 2007, CDS has made a commitment to providing full scholarships to two students per year through the school’s annual operational budget. A majority, but not all, of these students are referred to CDS by New Jersey SEEDS, a non-profit organization that provides life-changing educational opportunities to highly-motivated, academically-gifted students of limited means.

Every effort is made to ensure that the students who come to us on full scholarship flourish during their time at CDS, and leave the school with the foundational skills and confidence they will need for success in the future. Our program changes the educational trajectory for the students who join the CDS community. Those who have graduated from CDS have gone on to exceptional secondary schools, including Blair Academy, Gill St. Bernard’s School, The Kent Place School, Morristown-Beard School, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, and The Pingry School.

Why is it Important?

Marian Wright Edelman, the president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, once said, “The greatest threat to America’s national security comes from no enemy without, but from our own failure to protect, invest in, and educate all of our children who make up all of our futures in this global economy…”

Sadly, research shows that low-income students in New Jersey’s poorest urban school districts have only a minimal chance of long-term educational success. A 2012 Pew Study found that Americans raised at the bottom of the family income ladder are likely to remain there as adults. More than 40 percent of those raised in the bottom quintile will remain stuck in the bottom as adults, and 70 percent will remain below the middle. Only four percent of those raised in the bottom quintile will make it all the way to the top as adults. The key to such mobility is education. The same Pew Study found that a college degree is the best step to upward mobility – making a person three times more likely to rise from the bottom of the family income ladder all the way to the top.

Transform a Student’s Educational Journey

Given the increasing pressure on the school’s operational budget, we are now seeking visionaries who share our commitment to the ideal of providing access to a quality education for every child. Please help to change a student’s life through the educational opportunities CDS can provide.


Thank you to Quantedge USA for their generous support as a leadership level CDS Scholars Corporate Donor!