EAST PROVIDENCE — The Providence Country Day School will renovate Metcalf Hall in anticipation of welcoming students from the Henry Barnard School later this summer for the start of the 2023-2024 school term as the two institutions fully complete a merger that began some three years ago.

The muilt-million dollar project comes as the first major milestone in the PCD-HBS transition to provide an academic experience for all students grades Pre-K through 12 on PCD’s 35-acre campus in city. The Barnard School, which offers a PreK-5 education, is its final year on the Rhode Island College campus in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Providence.

The renovations to the PCD campus encompass the following:

• Eight new classrooms created from the auditorium.
• Corkery Auditorium will be transformed to create brand new classroom space for the middle school.
• The lower school will take over the first floor of Metcalf Hall (the building that houses the middle school and Corkery Auditorium). They will have new furniture and a new state-of-the-art playground space.
• A major campus-wide security upgrade: securing the buildings with card readers and cameras.
• A flexible theater space within the field house as we research and plan a theater building.

Facing closure at the end of the 2020-21 term, which would have brought its 125-year legacy in elementary education to finality, a groundbreaking plan was announced in March 2021 to save the school by joining with PCD, historically a 5-12 grade institution, to create an all-encompassing, single site PreK-12 academic institution.

The PCD Board of Trustees agreed to assume financial responsibility for the Barnard School, including the employment of its faculty and the continued operation of the school’s facilities on the RIC Campus until transitioning to a one-school one-campus model.

PCD Head of School Kevin Folan expressed his school’s excitement as the two entities unify the elementary students with middle and upper schoolers on one campus.

“It’s time to bring our community together. We have been looking forward to this moment since the first days of connecting HBS and PCD,” said Folan. "The student-centric focus of these two historic institutions is unparalleled. I know this move will only allow us to continue to deliver on and elevate the experience of every student who steps foot on our campus. This year is a momentous one for our community —marking 100 years for PCD and 125 years for HBS — and it feels right to celebrate that milestone together.”

In addition to assuming leadership of the Barnard School, PCD announced in 2020 a tuition reset which decreased the cost by 36% as part of “The PCD Quest" initiative. It also included the creation of a virtual study program called PCD Online Academy.

 “These past few years have been incredibly hard on educators, and yet our faculty remain committed to creating the best possible experience for students. None of this would be possible without our incredible team," said Folan. "A PCD education is one of the best investments a family can make in their child’s future, and the best value for private education in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.”

While the Barnard building at RIC is closing, the name will continue on. The elementary level at PCD is expected to be known beginning next term as "The Henry Barnard Lower School at Providence Country Day."

Said Gregory Abel, Director of Marketing and Communications at PCD, "The Henry Barnard School has a wonderful brand and historic reputation, and we do want to hold on to that."

Abel added PCD expects to welcome 50 returning Barnard pupils to its campus later this year while anticipating approximately 50 new lower school students to enroll.

Families who would like to inquire about PreK-12 may visit www.providencecountryday.org.