History
The PCDS story began in 1960, when a group of educational visionaries, led by Franz and Mae Sue Talley, agreed to found a nonsectarian, nonprofit, college preparatory day school based on the traditional east coast private school model. On September 12, 1961, Phoenix Country Day School opened its doors to 93 students in grades 3 through 9 with a faculty and staff of 14. The following year, a half-day kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 were added, and grades 10 through 12 were added in successive years to graduate the first senior class in 1965. By the 1969-1970 academic year, enrollment was at 386.
The School quickly expanded its group of loyal community members committed to its survival and success. In the ’70s, facilities were expanded to accommodate the growing student body and the development of competitive sports teams. PCDS’s graduating classes measured in the teens and twenties, and the Upper School program offered core graduation requirements and courses and electives that reflected faculty interests and abilities.
With the dawning of the '80s and changing times, the PCDS endowment began to grow, and a tightening of discipline and student accountability developed. An Advanced Placement program was added to assist in gauging standards of academic excellence. Having purchased the second half of the school’s 40 acres in 1968, PCDS was able in 1982 to build a new Upper School complex and a gymnasium for indoor sports on the east side of the Cudia Wash, and a dedicated music facility on the west side of campus. A bridge was built to join the Lower and Middle Schools with the Upper School.
By 1996 enrollment reached 700 and between 1993 and 2008, PCDS replaced or renovated over 90% of the classrooms on campus. Every division saw major construction and renovation, including the addition of state-of-the-art science labs and an outdoor experimental science garden, visual art and performance facilities, and technology facilities. The entire Lower School was replaced, and an early childhood learning center was added to provide space scaled to fit the needs of the youngest students. This part of campus, too, has its own library, science center, art studio, and children's garden.
"Today PCDS continues to offer a strong and balanced educational program: rigorous academics, fascinating electives, many choices in fine arts, four classical and modern languages, and interscholastic athletics. Further, PCDS is heavily invested in developing students as individuals of good character and contributors to the local, national, and global community. A thriving international study/travel program offers opportunities to visit China, Germany, and Ecuador. The Upper School offers 14 AP courses, provides individual college counseling, and sees 80 percent of graduates matriculate at out-of-state colleges."
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