About

Ida Scudder School

The year 1969 was, in many ways, a year of dramatic global significance – It was the year when Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the surface of the moon … the year of the first ever Concorde test flight; it was also the year when India’s nuclear power plant at Tarapur became operational. And, in the sleepy town of Vellore it was the year in which, on the 13th of June, the Ida Scudder School opened its gates to the children of Vellore offering them a holistic education that transcended the classroom.
The school came into existence when some of the doctors at the Christian Medical College Hospital felt the need for an English medium school … one that would deliver quality education to their children and other children in the community … one that would model and develop in them leadership qualities such as empathy, humility, integrity and the courage to act. It was unanimously decided to name the school after Dr. Ida Sophie Scudder, the American pioneer in the field of medicine in southern India and founder of the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore. And so, nine years after she had passed on, the Ida Scudder School came into being.
The struggles in the initial years were real and formidable. A lack of funds, experience, expertise, students and staff made the challenge seemingly insurmountable. Loans and donations from well wishers and very often large contributions out of the pockets of the doctors themselves funded the process. Time and effort was spent in visiting every house on the hospital campus to ask people to get actively involved with the project and volunteers came along to help with necessary tasks. The very first classes were held in thatched sheds with sandy floors and held less than ten students! It was the story of the five loaves and two fish once again!
We look back today with pride and humility on the journey that has spanned over six decades. Since then, the school has grown rapidly and today, Ida Scudder School stands tall as a testament to the unfaltering faith and vision of its founders. From its humble beginnings with just a handful of eager students and dedicated teachers to its present strength of over 2800 students and 170 teachers, Ida Scudder School continues to serve the needs of the larger community and fulfil its commitment to the task of nation building. The school stands as a beacon of hope and light, kindling within its students the spirit of compassion, humility and selfless service rooted firmly in an unwavering belief in the Almighty.

Junior Section

  • "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." Matt 19:14
The day at Scudder Junior Section dawns with Morning Assemblies filled with joyful songs and thought provoking stories that energise our students spiritually. Our classroom learning is packed with fun activities like pair work, group discussions, role plays, quizzes, peer teaching and much more. Project work carried out in groups and pairs ensures that our children work together to creatively transform abstract subject knowledge into practical, applied learning.
The PT classes keep our children in good shape and form and we can sense an aura of excitement during the annual intersection matches. Our art, craft, and music classes allow for artistisic expression of the little ones who are gifted in these areas.

From Principal's Desk

Ida Scudder School turned 55 in June this year … and continues to serve the larger community, today, as it did in years past by providing quality, holistic, value- based education to thousands of students. Looking back over the years, I feel, two words could be used to sum up the intervening decades- Change and Growth. As we know, the two are inextricably linked … there is no growth without change and change is an inevitable consequence of growth! And, both growth and change are evident when we look around, in virtually every aspect of the school. We see it in the very size and shape of the school – more buildings, bigger classrooms to accommodate the growing numbers, new technology in the classrooms, new teachers taking the place of old familiar faces … different ways of teaching and learning …even new trees to replace the old ones that sadly no longer stand in the school grounds.. Yet, despite all this change, there is a constant. A running thread that binds us together, something subtle yet palpable that defines us and dictates our every thought word and action. I am speaking of the core values on which our school is founded 

Best Christian school in vellore - IDA Scudder

… values of Spirituality, Compassion, Integrity, Humility, Inclusion and Resilience that continue to influence and shape all that we undertake as a school …timeless values, that we make a conscious attempt to develop in each of our students during their years at school, so that when they eventually step out into the world beyond the school walls they are equipped to make choices that will result in a safer, happier and more equitable world, both for themselves and for the others who share their world.

This is an ongoing journey, one that will see even greater growth and change but through it all we can be sure that Scudder School will remain true to its mission of developing leaders who are compassionate, humble young men and women of Integrity who have the courage to speak up and act on behalf of the less fortunate … because being a Scudderite means being empowered to make a difference … It means being truly ‘lighted to lighten’ !
May God be with us as we continue on this exciting journey in the years to come…

Swarna Joshua

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