How to Apply

The online application asks for family and student information and includes questions to be answered by parents (grades pre-k - 11) and students (grades 5 - 11).

The application for admission for the 2022-2023 school year is due no later than February 1.

Please note that all applicants to pre-kindergarten must be 4 years old by September 1, and all applicants to kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1.

PCDS does not accept applications for grade 12.

The $75 application fee is paid online as part of the application submission.

Fee waivers are available for families needing financial assistance and for children of PCDS alumni. Please contact the PCDS Admissions Office to receive a fee waiver code.

At least one parent/guardian is required to schedule a meeting with a member of the admissions team. This meeting can be either an individual campus tour with an admission director or a virtual interview. For grades 5-12, the student is also encouraged to attend this tour/meeting. This meeting is our opportunity to get to know your family and your educational priorities, and also answer questions you might have about PCDS.
 

Transcripts and report cards from the current school after the first grading period are required for all PCDS applicants for Grades K-11.

If the student has done any kind of standardized testing in the past two years at their current school, please ask the school to share test score reports as part of the student’s transcript.

Download a Transcript Release Form.

Teacher recommendations are required for all PCDS applicants. Please note that teacher recommendations must be completed after the first marking period of the current school year.

Applicant families will send electronic recommendation requests via the PCDS application portal after December 1.

In our effort to understand each applicant’s learning profile, the PCDS admissions committee aims to be thorough and thoughtful in its review of a student’s readiness for our school program. Access to skills-based achievement testing and/or aptitude testing is helpful in completing a student’s application to PCDS.

PCDS will administer admissions assessments on select Saturdays in January and February, in socially distanced settings. Registration for assessments will be available through the application portal after October 1.

If your family needs to seek alternate admissions testing arrangements, here are some other options that do not require a visit to campus:

• If the student has done any kind of standardized testing or developmental screening in the past two years at their current school, please ask the school to share test score reports as part of the student’s transcript.
• If the student has completed standardized testing or developmental screening outside of school, or has completed an evaluation with a child psychologist, please share those reports with our admissions team.
• For students applying to grades 6 - 11, PCDS accepts either the SSAT or the ISEE (both tests can be taken at a local prometric testing center or with an independent education consultant). If a student chooses to take either one of these tests, they must register and pay for the test independently and share the scores with PCDS (SSAT school code is 5767; ISEE school code is 030288).
• For students applying to grade 9, we would be glad to receive a writing sample. To do so, please share a copy of a student essay graded by a current English or history teacher.

Please contact the admissions team if you have questions or want to discuss assessment alternatives.

Applicants to grades 1-12 are expected to shadow a portion of the school day. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten applicants are expected to participate in a Saturday Play Date.

All admission meetings are scheduled online via the Admissions portal. While we intend to move forward with these classroom visits as part of the normal admissions process, we will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments this fall and adjust our process as needed. If classroom visits are possible, registration will be available early winter.

If your family is interested in applying for need-based financial assistance, the financial aid application will become available in November and will be due February 1.

For information about the financial aid program at PCDS and the Arizona Tax Credit options, and for application instructions, please review the Financial Aid page.

Please contact Kristie Berg, PCDS Director of Financial Aid, to gather more information and ask any questions.