The school was founded by Dr. Julian P. Rodriguez, Jr., in 1988, under sole proprietorship. He turned it into a foundation- the Doña Pilar Learning Center Foundation Inc., (DPLCFI) in 1990. It was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 3, 1990, under SEC Registration No. DS- 03859. As a foundation, it is non-stock and non-profit corporation and none of its members receives any remuneration whatsoever for the services rendered to the school.

The school is primarily intended to serve the education needs of the school children in Sasa-Pampanga and nearby areas. It is also aimed to provide high quality education at the lowest cost possible. It is situated in a very valuable one and one-fourth hectares parcel of land owned by the Rodriguez family located at the heart of the Doña Pilar Village. Incidentally, the village, which is the first relocation subdivision of Davao City, is a legacy of the late Don Julian Rodriguez, Sr., the father of the founder. The school was named in honor of the late Doña Pilar, the mother of the founder, whose birthday was on October 21 which is the Foundation Day of the school.

The DOÑA PILAR LEARNING CENTER (DPLC) is offering Pre-Kindergarten and complete basic education (Kindergarten, Grades I, II, III, IV, V, VI). It opened in 1988 with Nursery, Kindergarten and Grade I course. There were then 107 pupils. Every School – Year, thereafter, the school added new grade level until it was completed in SY 1993-1994 with 491 pupils. DPLCFI is a duly government recognized school of the Department of Education (Dep-Ed). Below is the record of Government Recognition given to the school as a result of full compliance with all the requirements in operating private Kindergarten and Elementary courses, to wit:

1. Preschool, Gr. I-II – Govt. Recognition No.: 004 S. 1990 issued on Jan. 1, 1990;

2. Grade III – Govt. Recognition No.: 016 S. 1990 issued on November 15, 1990; and,

3. Grades IV-VI – Gov’t. Recognition No.: 001 S. 1994 issued on June 16, 1994.

The school is following the K TO 12 Curriculum of Department of Education for the Kindergarten to Grade VI. While its Pre-Kindergarten course is following the curriculum set forth by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of Davao City which issued a Certificate to Operate for Three Years on April 27, 2021. The school gives more emphasis in the development of 21st Century skills and qualities of the pupils. Values and discipline are always integrated in the academic subjects and in all the activities of the pupils. The school is declared by its Board of Trustees as an “ENGLISH SPEAKING SCHOOL.”

The school is also a member of the Davao Association of Private Schools and Administrators (DAPRISA). It is an association of small private schools in the Davao City. The association provides opportunity for the member schools to expose their pupils to inter-school sports, cultural and academic competitions and activities. It also provides for faculty development among others.

The Doña Pilar Learning Center participated in Implementation of full face-to-face classes program of the Department of Education implemented in SY 2022-2023. 1) The school was able to prepare the learners to go back to the classrooms; 2) It was able to prepare the school in the transition and instructions in of its instructions in the face-to-face combined with health safety considerations; and 3) It was able to assess the school’s capability to implement face-to-face learning.