The Columbus Jewish Day School was founded in 1998 by a group of pioneering parents and community leaders in response to the complex needs of Jewish families of all denominations and styles of Jewish expression. The pluralistic school, modeled after The Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York City, places a high value on academic excellence, intellectual exploration, creative and active learning styles, and integration of Jewish and General studies, along with a sense of “civic” responsibility for the community within the school and beyond.

With substantial start-up support from the national Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, the Columbus Jewish Foundation, and a considerable number of founding supporters in the Columbus Jewish community, CJDS began its first year of classes in space at Temple Israel with students in grades K through 3. Just three years later, having outgrown the space at Temple Israel, CJDS and the New Albany Schools reached an agreement for our school to occupy its “1925 Building” on the New Albany School’s campus. That cheerful space supported our students for many years.  In 2008, growth in our Northeast community presented us with an amazing opportunity, a community partnership between the Columbus Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Center and the Columbus Jewish Day School.  

In the fall of 2009, CJDS moved in to our brand new, state of the art facility located on the Northeast Jewish Community Campus.  Our new space provides a rich learning environment for our students in grades K through 6.  The space also nurtures our uniquely integrated program, with double-size classrooms, a full size gymnasium, art studio, computer lab, commons, administrative suite, and easy access to facilities on the New Albany School campus. In addition, the Northeast Jewish Community Campus has quickly become a center for Jewish life in Northeast Columbus, housing CJDS, the JCC New Albany preschool and summer camp, Congregation Tifereth Israel’s Northeast Satellite branch of it's Hebrew School, the Florence Melton Adult Mini School program, basketball leagues, yoga classes, community lecture series, and many other exciting activities.