Community Day School Love the learning, Live the Values 

Welcome to Community Day School! 

I am often moved to tears in my daily life as Head of School at CDS. Thankfully, 99.9 percent of the time these are tears of pride, joy, surprise, tenderness, and humility as I walk our halls and campus and am treated to the energy and life and generosity and learning and intensely sweet community that is Community Day School.

Every adult with whom I work inspires me. Every child is a wonder, someone to discover, to nurture, to surprise us with what comes next. Our parent community is positive, appreciative, and committed to supporting our work. And our broader community is waking up to the power of what we are accomplishing here at CDS.

As Pittsburgh’s only progressive, inclusive Jewish day school serving the broadest spectrum of Jewish families, Community Day School is a leader in defying national trends of declining participation in institutional Jewish life. Those who don’t identify with the traditional affiliations (40% of current CDS families) are increasingly choosing our school for their family's Jewish learning.

We've achieved consistently high parent satisfaction rates over the past four years, and it's not just the parents who sing our praises. Our alumni keep coming back! They visit the younger students they befriend and the teachers they love. They volunteer to assist in our after-school programs. And when they have their own children, if they live in Pittsburgh, they become CDS parents themselves! 

Community Day School is an accredited independent school with a proven track record of exceptionally high academic achievement, evidenced annually in ERB scores that rival or exceed scores attained by graduates of other suburban and independent schools nationwide. 

But we are more than just a top-notch independent school. We offer a rigorous dual-language program, daily deep dives into Jewish text study and analysis, and inquiry into the modern-day relevance of Jewish traditions and values. In this way, Community Day School’s advanced academics are elevated to the realm of wisdom and a way of life.

Each year our graduates gain a deeper appreciation of their experience and a more enduring connection with their school. I am filled with hope by their capacity for critical thinking, their drive to fight for social justice, and their preparation for professional and Jewish lives of their choosing. Now more than ever, young people's voices need to be heard, and I have great confidence that CDS graduates are equipped with the vision and the tools to make a positive difference.

I can’t wait to see the better world they are going to create!

Warmest wishes,

Avi Munro signature
Head Shot of Head of School Avi Munro
Avi Baran Munro, Ed.M.
Head of School


Prior to becoming CDS Head of School in 2004, Avi Baran Munro spent six years as Curriculum Coordinator and Head of Lower School at Community Day School and 10 years teaching and supervising student-teachers at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education. At Pittsburgh’s Jewish Education Institute, she coordinated and offered professional development for Pittsburgh’s Jewish educators.

Avi Munro is a graduate of Brown University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the University of California, San Diego. She also holds Pennsylvania state certification in Secondary English.

As a graduate of the very first Solomon Schechter Day School and parent of four Community Day School graduates, she is deeply committed to high quality, Jewish day school education.