A Short History of Carolina Day School

Carolina Day School (CDS) is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory school with grades pre-kindergarten through twelve. Though only 17 years old, CDS draws on a rich educational history. Established in 1987 by the merger of two of Asheville, North Carolina's best private schools, Asheville Country Day School and St. Genevieve/Gibbons Hall, CDS represents over 150 years of the highest standards of learning.

Asheville Country Day School (ACDS) was founded in 1936 by a group of local parents who sought better high school preparation for their children. First housed on Victoria Road, the K-9 school grew quickly and eventually combined with another K-9 school, the Haseltine School, in 1949. The new school moved to a large building on Merrimon Avenue near the site of present-day Grace Convenant Presbyterian Church. As its reputation grew, so did its student body, and soon the school needed to move again. The Hendersonville Road campus, with its modern building surrounding a triangular courtyard, was designed by architect Bertam King and built on land donated by the Biltmore Company. The new campus opened in 1958. 149 students were enrolled, and a high school division was added over the next two years. In the 1960s and 1970s, the school was known for its progressive teaching methods. In 1970, an extension was built onto the main building to house the primary division (grades 1-3), but, other than that, the campus remained pretty much intact through the 1980s. ACDS joined the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) in 1965 and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the accrediting agency for schools in the Southeast, in 1982

The area's other top day school, St. Genevieve/Gibbons Hall, also experienced growing pains over the years. The original school, St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines (SGP), was established in 1908 by nuns from a French order known as "The Religious of Christian Education." In the beginning, there were both day students, boys and girls, ages six to thirteen, and boarders, girls, ages fourteen to eighteen. In 1912, St. Genevieve's College was added, which offered a two-year course in French as well as a four-year liberal arts curriculum. In 1930, the college evolved into a two-year college, called St. Genevieve's Junior College, which operated until 1955, when it became the School for Secretaries. In 1949, the boys in grades K-8 from the day school moved into a separate building and Gibbons Hall School for Boys was founded. Known for their comprehensive education and structured, yet warm, child-centered environment, both SGP and Gibbons Hall were accredited by SACS; in fact, SGP was a charter member. At its zenith, the campus on Victoria Road encompassed over 35 acres.

In the 1960s and 1970s, private schools all over the country struggled to stay open. By 1971, the religious order was no longer able to support both SGP and Gibbons Hall. With the help of parents, the two schools merged to form St. Genevieve/Gibbons Hall School (SG/GH). SG/GH was an independent, co-ed, day school for boys and girls in kindergarten through ninth grade. In 1984, in an effort to combat rising costs and declining enrollments at both schools, SG/GH and ACDS began merger talks. In 1987, the two schools finally merged. The Victoria Road campus was sold to Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College (AB-Tech), and a new school, Carolina Day School, was born on the Hendersonville Road campus.

CDS started with 279 students in 1988; today, there are nearly 650. To accommodate this growth, two major capital campaigns have been conducted. Supported mostly by parents, these funds helped the school renovate existing buildings, acquire additional property on Hendersonville Road, and build new buildings. In addition, the faculty has made numerous curriculum improvements over the years, for example, adding technology classes, Advanced Placement courses, and character education instruction. The School currently consists of four divisions: Lower School (PK-5); Middle School (6-8); Upper School (9-12); and the Key School, which helps students with learning disabilities. Each division offers a foundation for academic success tailored to its particular student group. In addition to a solid academic program, a wide variety of extra-curricular activities are offered, including athletics, arts, community service, and a variety of special interest clubs.

The mission which CDS will pursue in the future draws on the inheritance of the schools of the past: To challenge young people to pursue their personal quest for excellence by offering them opportunities to educate the mind, the heart, the body, and the human spirit.(Additional history of the school is available in An Uncommon School: Asheville Country Day School 1936-1986 , by Eileen McCabe and St. Genevieve's Remembered, by Mother Margaret Potts. Copies of both books are available in the Alumni Office.)