Presbyterian Day School (PDS) is a Christian

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

for boys located at 4025 Poplar Avenue,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, 38111. It is one of the largest elementary schools for boys in the United States, enrolling 600 students in grades from two-years of age through the sixth grade.

Founding

When Dr. Anthony Dick accepted the pastorate of Second Presbyterian Church in the summer of 1947, he expressed his desire that the church provide

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

elementary education with a day school. Dr. Dick followed through with his aspirations and opened a new kindergarten in the fall of 1949 at the intersection of Poplar and Goodlett, where school met Monday through Friday and

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

on Sunday. An introductory statement sent to church members stated, "We believe that this field (

Christian education Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

) offers a real challenge to us and through the medium of this weekday kindergarten, we are preparing to try to use this opportunity for the greatest good to these children, their homes, and to the highest glory of God." The school would later be named ‘Presbyterian Day School,’ known affectionately from its inception as PDS. PDS registration was initially opened to church members on June 2, 1949, but was opened to non-members the following day. When the education building, the first of three planned construction units, was dedicated on September 11, 1949, thirty-five children were enrolled in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.

Accreditation

PDS has been accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

since 1979. It is a member of the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boar ...

Southern Association of Independent Schools {{Cleanup-spam, date=April 2011 The Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) is a U.S.-based voluntary organization of more than 380 independent elementary and secondary schools through the South, representing more than 220,000 students ...

, Tennessee Association of Independent School, and the Memphis Association of Independent Schools. Other memberships include the

Educational Records Bureau Educational Records Bureau (ERB) is an educational services Non-profit Organization that offers assessments for both admission and achievement for independent and selective public schools for Pre K-grade 12. ERB was founded in 1927, and is h ...

. Presbyterian Day School (PDS) was recognized in 2015 as an Apple Distinguished School because of its one-to-one laptop program and integration of educational technology using Apple hardware, apps, and content-creation apps.

Campus

PDS is located at 4025 Poplar Avenue. The Henry Edward Russell Building houses 34 classrooms, the 17,000 volume Sumner

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, state of the art

science lab A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...

, Morgan Technology Resource Center, art and music facilities, and administrative offices. The John de Witt Activities Center features a double gymnasium with an elevated indoor track. Spacious athletic fields and playgrounds on campus provide excellent spaces for boys to run and recreate.

Notable alumni

Paul Tudor Jones Paul Tudor Jones II (born September 28, 1954) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, conservationist and philanthropist. In 1980, he founded his hedge fund, Tudor Investment Corporation, an asset management firm headquartered in Stamford, ...

, commodity trader *

Frederick W. Smith Frederick Wallace Smith (born August 11, 1944) is an American business magnate and investor. He is the founder and chairman of FedEx Corporation, the world's largest transportation company. On June 1, 2022, Smith stepped down as CEO to become exe ...

, founder of FedEx * Hank Sullivant, musician, frontman for Kuroma, past bassist for The Whigs, touring guitarist for MGMT. * Sid Evans, Editor, Garden & Gun Magazine * Tom Hutton, former NFL punter, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles *

Pitt Hyde Joseph Reeves Hyde III (born 1942), known as Pitt Hyde, is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist in Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for founding AutoZone as a spinoff of his family's grocery business, Malone and Hyde, in 1979. Hyde is al ...

, founder of Autozone *

Hampton Sides Wade Hampton Sides (born 1962) is an American historian, author and journalist. He is the author of '' Hellhound on His Trail,'' ''Ghost Soldiers,'' '' Blood and Thunder'', ''On Desperate Ground'', and other bestselling works of narrative histor ...

, Author, Ghost Soldiers *

Dan Schneider Daniel James Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor. After appearing in mostly supporting roles in a number of 1980s and 1990s films and TV shows, Schneider devoted himself to behind-the-s ...

, Nickelodeon producer * Beau Davidson, recording artist, actor, songwriter * Harry Ford - Actor, star of CBS TV series, CODEBLACK

External links

* Main School Page - http://www.pdsmemphis.org * About PDS & Its History - http://www.pdsmemphis.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=7

References

{{coord, 35.1237, -89.9292, type:edu, display=title Private elementary schools in Tennessee