Welcome from the Head | Madison Country Day School

Mark Brooks

I hope you enjoy exploring our website and learning about our exceptional school. I am often asked how to describe MCDS, and my answer is always the same: here, students embrace the joy of thinking, questioning, and discovering.

I see this in our Lower School students who approach each day with curiosity as they inquire into the world around them, our Middle School students who take action in their communities with confidence and compassion, and our High School students who challenge themselves through the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: developing into reflective, principled, and globally minded young people. As they move on to colleges around the world, our alumni embody the IB Learner Profile: ready, balanced, and purposeful.

Our 40-acre campus on the Cherokee Marsh is not just where we are - it’s a part of who we are. Our teachers thoughtfully incorporate the natural environment into their lessons. Whether its students conducting science experiments in the prairie, bringing the land’s history to life in the classroom, or our Orchestra rehearsing in our outdoor amphitheater on a beautiful day.

I invite you to visit our campus and see firsthand how our students live the IB Learner Profile every day. Thriving as thinkers, communicators, inquirers, and caring members of their community.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Brooks
Head of School

_{Mark Brooks}_{is currently the Head of School at Madison Country Day school (MCDS). Prior to leading MCDS, Mark served as Head of The Center for Early Education and Pilgrim School, both in Los Angeles. He holds an A.B. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School. He is also a graduate of the Klingenstein Fellowship program at Columbia Teachers College. Mark served as president of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) Board of Trustees and as a trustee of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and he served as the secretary of the Enrollment Management Association. Mark currently serves on the board of The Principals' Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and will serve as Vice Chair of ISACS beginning in July 2026. Mark is a trustee of The Ahmanson Foundation and the Slingerland Literacy Institute, and is a member of the Head’s Collegiate Forum.}

Meet Our Division Heads:

Brian Salzer

Head of High School
bsalzer@madisoncountryday.org

Rebecca Polak

Head of Middle School
rpolak@madisoncountryday.org

Kristina Luedtke

Head of Lower School
kluedtke@madisoncountryday.org

Megan Thornburgh

Head of Early Childhood Education, Director of Student Services
mthornburgh@madisoncountryday.org

Michelle Myers

Dean of Students
Middle School and High School
mmeyers@madisoncountryday.org

OUR MISSION

Madison Country Day School is an independent, college-preparatory, Pre-K to Grade 12, International Baccalaureate World School whose mission is to:

Inspire each student to discover their extraordinary capacity to learn and thrive in an evolving world by cultivating a challenging environment and a supportive community.