History

York Country Day School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school, enrolling students from preschool through twelfth grade. The school was founded in 1953 by a group of parents and civic leaders who sought a challenging academic program in a private setting for the children of York County. Thirty-seven students enrolled in the first classes which were held in a converted house on Springettsbury Avenue in York city. In 1956 the school was moved to a seventeen acre tract in the suburbs southwest of York, and in the following years the school grew to include preschool classes through grade 12.

In 1975, the school became affiliated with York College of Pennsylvania, and the academic program was enriched through the use of college facilities such as the library, the swimming pool and the inclusion of qualified York Country Day students in college courses.

In 1983, the Trustees released a comprehensive Plan for Excellence to guide the school through its fourth decade and beyond. In 1985, the first phase of that plan was completed with the construction of three additions.

In 1985, the second phase of the Plan for Excellence began with the inauguration of a new curriculum, stressing new academic programs and expanded activities and athletic opportunities. Calling for the school to prepare students for admission to the most demanding institutions of higher learning, the Board of Trustees increased the school's graduation requirements and added additional language electives, new reading, social studies and science curriculums, and a new program for two and three year olds.