Phoenix Country Day School

I am a parent with a daughter in first grade and a son going to be joining pre K next year. PCDS is a rare school mostly because of it's small size(less than 60 students per year) and top notch facilities. It has an indoor gym(priceless in scorching hot Arizona), 2 swimming pools, 4 sports fields, an auditorium complete with aerial props and lights and 4 tennis courts. All facilities are available for use from elementary school. There are few schools that have those kind of facilities available to elementary school students. But mainly why we're here is the education. They have between 6 and 9 students out of a class of 60 going to Ivy League schools yearly. Apart from that they routinely have kids entering other top 20 colleges like Northwestern, U of Chicago, Rice, Duke amongst others. It needs belt tightening from our family because it is expensive, but if you can offer your kids a well rounded experience with great facilities throughout their school years as well as almost guarantee entrance into a good college at the end of their high school education I think it is worth the price.

As a former student, I cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed my 10 years at PCDS. From the excellent, caring faculty and staff to the bright, talented student body, PCDS has so much to offer. I gained so much more than a diploma, I learned how to carry myself, how to interact effectively with those around me, and how to problem solve. These skills have proved to be far more valuable than anything else I could gained from a elementary and high school education. Yet that is not to say I didn't receive a fabulous education. My class had 20 National Merit Semifinalists and had many students attend Ivy League Institutions and many other extremely competitive colleges and universities. Furthermore, my education at PCDS more than adequately prepared me for my college courses. I feel more capable and better equipped at my college than many of my well-qualified peers. PCDS has more success, fun, and opportunities than schools more than three times its size. Students can participate in multiple clubs, sports, and productions while still getting a first-class education. Yes, the school isn't perfect, yes the curriculum and workload are challenging, but the experiences gained from attending PCDS far outweigh the problem areas. If you are looking for a school with a close-knit genuine community, varied and strong extracurricular activities from a championship basketball team to a talent-filled drama production, excellent and rigorous academics, teachers that truly care about their students' success, and students who want to have fun as much as they want to succeed, Phoenix Country Day School is the place for you.