The school is located in Sedona, Arizona, United States.

Founded by Hamilton and Barbara Warren, Verde Valley School opened its doors to its first class of students in 1948.

[2] Mr. Warren, who had served as liaison officer for the European policy section of the Office of War Information during World War II, was motivated to create a space where people of different cultures and backgrounds could come together to learn.

[3] Verde Valley School curriculum was designed with the intention to promote international and intercultural understanding, requiring its 120 students to take courses in anthropology and Spanish and annual field trips to Mexico and nearby Indian reservations.

[3][4] Scholars who helped found the school and guide its early years included Harvard anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn (who mentored Hamilton while at Harvard), anthropologist Margaret Mead, and John Collier, Commissioner of Indian Affairs during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.