The Sandra E. Lerner Jewish Community Day School opened in 1995 as the first school of its kind in the Triangle region of North Carolina.

The Lerner School began when a passionate group of parents wanted to offer a high quality Jewish day school education to families in the Triangle. Under the leadership of Founding Director Simone Soltan, the school opened as the Jewish Community Day School, with one combined Kindergarten and 1st Grade class of 13 students in the old Judea Reform Building.

With the assistance of dedicated volunteers and generous donors, the school purchased land from Judea Reform two years later in the fall of 1997. This land became the permanent home and current location of the school: 1935 West Cornwallis Road in Durham.

Over the last two decades, Lerner has expanded its facilities multiple times; first with the building of the learning cottage in 2007 to support extra classrooms and administrative offices. Lerner partnered with the Jewish Federation to build the Preschool Pavilion (2009) and the Levin JCC (2011). Lerner uses the neighboring JCC’s full size gym for Physical Education programs.

The Lerner School is named in honor of Sandra E. Lerner after a gift given by her sons and their families. Ms. Lerner is a graduate of Hunter College, where she received a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. degree in Education. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Mercy College.

Ms. Lerner has recently retired from her position as Deputy to the President for High School and Educational Initiatives at Lehman College of the City University of New York. She has received numerous awards for her commitment to education, and has served on several advisory boards. The Lerner School is proud to be named for such a gifted and dedicated educator and leader.