Where is Odyssey Day School located?
What are Odyssey Day School’s demographics?
How do I enroll?
Is there financial assistance?
Does Odyssey Day School provide before and after school care?
What can Odyssey Day School offer younger siblings of Elementary students?
What about your Faculty?
What does Odyssey Day School offer to our students?
Do students at Odyssey Day School take MCAS?
Are there accommodations for gifted children?
How do students transition from the small middle school environment at Odyssey Day School to a larger high school environment?
How will students be prepared for high school?

Where is Odyssey Day School located?
Odyssey Day School is conveniently located at 11 Paul Avenue, Wakefield, MA, 01880, with easy access from I-93 and I-95. (For specific directions, please see the Directions page).

What are Odyssey Day School’s demographics?
Total enrollment:
151

Teacher/student ratio:
Early Childhood ratios vary by age of child. Please call for information specific to the age of your child.

Average Preschool class size:
Ratios meet or exceed expectations set by the state and NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children); maximum class size of eighteen students to two staff.

Average Elementary class size:
Twelve students with one teacher; maximum eighteen students per classroom.

Where our students reside:
Our students reside in Wakefield and over 20 surrounding cities and towns, including, but not limited to: Andover, Beverly, Burlington, Chelmsford, Derry NH, Essex, Lowell, Lynnfield, Malden, Melrose, Methuen, N. Andover, N. Reading, Newburyport, Reading, Saugus, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Winchester, Winthrop, and Woburn.

Ages/grades we serve:
Infant through Grade 8

Racial Diversity:
Our racial diversity is 13% of the student body, reflecting or exceeding the racial diversity of the surrounding community. However, our religious, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity, as well as our diversity of family composition, are much higher than those of the surrounding community.

How do I enroll?
Please contact Margaret Douglas, Director of Admissions and the Academic Program, or visit our Admissions page.

Is there financial assistance?
Yes, Odyssey Day School is responsive to the needs of families and promotes accessibility to families at all income levels. For more information, please see our Financial Assistance page.

Does Odyssey Day School provide before and after school care?
Yes, Odyssey offers Extended Day Care beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 6:00 p.m. Limited Child Care is also available during some school vacation weeks. For specific rate information, please see the Tuition page.

What can Odyssey Day School offer younger siblings of Elementary students?
Odyssey provides programming for children from Infant through Grade 8, including Infant and Toddler Care, an accredited Preschool program, and full-day Kindergarten. Parents appreciate the convenience of not having to bring their children to multiple locations, and not having to transition them in the afternoon from their school to another after-school site.

What about your Faculty?
The average number of years served by the faculty is five; however, many have served ten to fifteen years. The school is fifteen years old. Teachers are always encouraged to continue advancement in education and training through a variety of programs. For more information about our faculty, please visit the Teacher Bio page.

What does Odyssey Day School offer to our students?

• Education of the whole child: ODS supports the intellectual, creative, and social/emotional development of each student.
• Differentiated education: Our small classes, high ratio of teachers to students, flexible student groupings, and personalized attention enable students to experience success and develop a joy for learning.
• Dedicated teachers: Teachers at ODS combine excellent teaching skills with the ability to create a dynamic curriculum.
• Parents and Teachers as Partners: Because it is crucial to the successful school experience, open communication between families, staff and students is valued and encouraged.

Do students at Odyssey Day School take MCAS?
No. Private schools are not regulated by the state in this way, which leaves teachers the freedom to develop creative and stimulating curriculum that is not geared towards taking a state-mandated test. The result is a much deeper and more enriching curriculum, and more attention paid to students developing the critical thinking skills and habits of mind that will serve well them for a lifetime of learning—not just cramming for a test.

Are there accommodations for gifted children?
Yes. Due to our method of differentiated instruction, we are able to meet children where they are and challenge them to go to the next level--by extensions, by independent studies, or by grouping. We are able to cross-group students by ability in reading and math, such that, for example, a younger student could get his or her math or reading instruction in an older group. Social and emotional maturity are considered along with academic ability when a student is excelling in a subject area, and decisions are made that take into account the needs of the whole child. For further information, please contact Margaret Douglas, Director of Admissions and the Academic Program.

How do students transition from the small middle school environment at Odyssey Day School to a larger high school environment?
We are often asked this question, and the answer is simple: ODS students have been given the gift of a nurturing school environment during the elementary/middle years where they are known and cared for, building confidence and self-esteem both socially and academically. ODS is a haven from many of the problems adolescents encounter elsewhere. Our tolerant and friendly students know that teachers expect them to treat each other kindly, and they do. We fill our school with children, not angels, so we can’t and don’t claim perfection. But we do notice that our students tend to be uniquely empathetic and wholesome. Once our students graduate, they have been spared many of the typical adolescent experiences that their public school peers have had to cope with for years. Thus, they emerge from our small environment with critical interpersonal tools… knowing and appreciating who they are, respecting themselves and others, and ready to integrate into a well-matched high school, even if it is significantly bigger than what they are used to. For more information on secondary school placement, click here.

How will students be prepared for high school?
Odyssey Day School students receive a uniquely individualized and challenging high school preparatory experience. Through our hands-on, Theme-based method of instruction, students learn to make critical interdisciplinary connections across subject areas. Our small class sizes and low student:teacher ratio allow children with a variety of learning styles to develop the cognitive skills and content mastery necessary for success in their next schools, and in the world beyond our campus. Just ask our Alums!