P.K. Yonge

Purposeful Pathways Toward Bright Futures

The Challenge

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is a PreK–12 public school in Gainesville, Florida, and a unit of the University of Florida’s College of Education. For 90 years, they have operated at the leading edge of education. Their mission goes further than just teaching the students at their school; they also focus on designing, testing, and disseminating innovative educational practices to schools across the country.

Despite their distinguished history and nationally ranked programs, their website no longer reflected the depth and dynamism of what P.K. Yonge offers. The digital experience felt disconnected from the warm, rigorous, and people-centered school that families and students encounter in person. They needed a website and visual identity that could speak to a wide range of audiences, from prospective students and families to donors, alumni, legislators, and UF leadership, while clearly communicating what makes P.K. Yonge truly different.

Through a full website redesign and comprehensive visual content strategy, PHOS helped P.K. Yonge create a digital presence that reflects its 90-year legacy of educational excellence, while inspiring the next generation of students and families to become part of it. In one year since launching the new site, we’ve seen:

0%

Increase in Direct Users

0%

Improvement in Engagement Rate

0%

Increase in Engaged Sessions Per User (Florida)

Our Vision

P.K. Yonge’s campus, faculty, and community radiate something special. It’s a rare combination of academic rigor, genuine care for every student, and a mission that extends far beyond the classroom. Our challenge was to make that felt online. We shaped the new website around three defining qualities.

P.K. Yonge is nationally recognized and UF-affiliated, with faculty who hold graduate degrees and published research experience.

At the heart of P.K. Yonge is a belief that no two students are the same. From elementary school to high school, every student receives a personalized education designed around who they are.

The website needed to carry intentionality throughout, guiding each type of visitor toward the information and action most meaningful to them.

The Strategy

PHOS designed a website that captures the full P.K. Yonge experience: a school where empathy meets intellect, where every student is known, and where a nearly century-old legacy of innovation continues to shape the future of education.

The new site serves a wide and diverse audience, including prospective families exploring their options, current students and parents staying connected, alumni returning to give back, and research partners engaging with UF’s broader academic mission. Every section was designed with those distinct user journeys in mind.

The Branding

Before any design work began, we aligned on the verbal and visual identity that would inform every aspect of the website. P.K. Yonge's brand voice is bold and energetic, best-in-class yet inclusive, focused yet dynamic.

What makes P.K. Yonge's brand particularly nuanced is the balance between two powerful identities: the prestige and research mission of the University of Florida, and the warmth and belonging of a school that knows every student by name. The brand needed to honor both, drawing strength from its UF affiliation without letting it overshadow the human-centered identity that makes P.K. Yonge approachable.

The Web Design & Development

The redesigned website brings P.K. Yonge's three school levels, Elementary, Middle, and High School, to life with distinct but cohesive experiences. This structure makes it easy for prospective families to find what's relevant to them while reinforcing P.K. Yonge's commitment to meeting students where they are.

Clear navigation, prominent calls to action like "Apply Now" and "Book a Tour," and intuitive pathways for each audience type ensure that every visitor can quickly find what they need and take meaningful next steps.

Unique Website Features

Given how many different user types the website needed to serve, clear and intentional navigation was essential. Rather than a traditional menu structure, we designed the site around three prominent, action-oriented CTAs: Visit, Apply, and Give. For users who want to explore further, a hidden menu offers access to deeper content without cluttering the primary experience, keeping the interface clean and purposeful for everyone.

One of the standout features of the homepage is an interactive "P.K. Yonge by the Numbers" section. Rather than burying proof points in body copy, this section surfaces key stats in an engaging, dynamic format. This gives prospective families, donors, and community members an at-a-glance sense of the school's scale, impact, and excellence.

2025 ADDYSilver Award for Website

Content Development

Our content work focused on making what could be an overwhelming, complex experience simple. Each page was written to meet visitors where they are, whether they're a parent imagining their child's future, an alumnus looking to reconnect, or a faculty member drawn to the school's research mission.

This strategy ensured that each audience encountered language tailored to their needs and stage of relationship with the school, from awareness through advocacy.

Photography & Videography

Our photography captured the full texture of life at P.K. Yonge. Candid classroom moments, staged interactions between students and teachers, campus details like signage and green spaces, and the environmental richness of the school's grounds all helped to communicate the feeling of P.K. Yonge before someone even stepped foot on campus.

For video, we produced three key assets: a brand anchor film that uses b-roll, voiceover, and music to convey the P.K. Yonge difference in a way that's felt as much as seen; a student testimonial video featuring a high school student speaking to how P.K. Yonge shaped them as a person and prepared them for college; and a homepage hero video that greets visitors with an energizing, immersive glimpse into what makes P.K. Yonge extraordinary.