St. Andrew's Episcopal School Viewbook

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St. Andrew’s is recognized

NATIONWIDE FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE,

LEADING MISSISSIPPI

in virtually every category of academic achievement.

BUT “SMART” MEANS MORE THAN ACADEMICS. Truly successful students graduate with more than just impressive grades and test scores.

THAT’S WHY ST. ANDREW’S ALSO HELPS STUDENTS DEVELOP THEIR EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS. From pre-K3 through 12th grade, St. Andrew’s is intentional in cultivating empathy, determination, and resilience – skills that are as vital to success as the ability to write a compelling paper or solve a complex equation.

ST. ANDREW’S STUDENTS LEARN what it means to be a part of a team, a collaborative effort, and a larger community.

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SMART STATS THE SMART CHOICE FOR: EARLY CHILDHOOD LOWER SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT SUPPORT ATHLETES ARTISTS GLOBAL STUDIES COMMUNITY FINANCIAL AID AND MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS

IT’S THE DESIRE FOR A SCHOOL THAT NURTURES “SMART” in every aspect of student development that draws families here.

ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL The Smart Choice

SMART STATS RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

PERFECT

ACT

SCORES

6

OF 36 IN 2018

7 NATIONAL AP SCHOLARS

CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, CROSS COUNTRY, SWIMMING, TENNIS, TRACK AND FIELD

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THE 97 MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2018 ARE ATTENDING

2018 SENIOR CLASS

ACT AVERAGE

49

20+

–––––––

2018 GRADUATES

NOW PLAYING SPORTS AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL

STATE

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES NATIONWIDE.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS SELECTED for the Mississippi All-State Honor Choirs –––––––

YEARS OF SUPERIOR RATINGS in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Band Festival

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM in the 2018 Mississippi Science and Mathematics Tournament

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FINALIST

IN THE REGENERON SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH (FORMERLY THE WESTINGHOUSE)

NATIONAL CHAMPION IN LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE

84% PASS RATE ON AP EXAMS ––––––––––––

10,000+ COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS completed by the class of 2018

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STATE CHAMPION CHESS PLAYER ––––––––––––

ARTICLE IN THE CONCORD REVIEW The first Mississippian ever published in this quarterly review of essays by history students

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THE NUMBER OF YEARS ST. ANDREW’S HAS RECEIVED THE ALL-SPORTS AWARD FOR MISSISSIPPI’S BEST SPORTS PROGRAM

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HOW TO THINK ST. ANDREW’S DOESN’T TEACH STUDENTS WHAT TO THINK , BUT

STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ASK QUESTIONS, voice opinions, and explore answers beyond conventional wisdom.

THESE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS PREPARE ST. ANDREW’S STUDENTS NOT ONLY FOR COLLEGE, but also for careers that have yet to be imagined.

“ST. ANDREW’S GAVE ME the trust and the environment to explore my passion for technology. They never told me, ‘Wait until you grow up,’ or ‘You’re just a kid.’ I credit St. Andrew’s with providing the philosophical, as well as actual, foundation for Technolutions. St. Andrew’s is where I began following my passion and where my lifelong love of learning began.” — ALEXANDER CLARK ’00, CEO of Technolutions, a company he founded as a St. Andrew’s student

NO ONE WANTS TO

“wait until you’re older” TO DO SOMETHING

MEANINGFUL.

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CHOICE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

Pre-K3–Kindergarten

Students in pre-K and kindergarten learn through hands-on activities that engage and interest them now.

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AT ST. ANDREW’S Early Childhood Center, everything from the programming to the architecture to the color on the walls is designed with curious young learners in mind.

THE CURRICULUM IS BUILT AROUND intentional play that makes learning a part of the fun. Three-year-olds may master the alphabet by forming letters out of flowers, seeds, and other materials gathered on the playground. Learning to count is fun when that means counting 10 Applejacks – and realizing that eating three leaves seven. Four-year-olds may not be able to spell “sustainability” just yet, but they can plant and harvest vegetables in the school garden. For kindergartners baking a pie in the children’s kitchen, learning to measure ingredients is part of the excitement.

EARLY CHILDHOOD AT ST. ANDREW’S is a magical time to make best friends, develop new skills, and discover the lifelong joy of learning.

“As alumni, my husband and I have been blessed to experience first-hand the impact St. Andrew’s can have on a child. Honestly, choosing St. Andrew’s for our children was one of the easiest decisions we’ve ever had to make.” — Jordan Hailey Bryan ’03

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM is a teaching approach that focuses on the link between academic success and social and emotional learning. Techniques are based on the idea that social and emotional skills — which are incredibly important to our economy — should be taught just as intentionally as academic skills.

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CHOICE FOR LOWER SCHOOL

Grades 1–4

Learning is exciting, engaging, and contagious.

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HAPPY, St. Andrew’s lower school is a

STIMULATING PLACE

where students engage in an innovative curriculum and project-based collaboration.

STUDENTS BUILD critical thinking skills, writing opinion essays on topics their age group finds intriguing. Science, art, music, and world languages, including Spanish and Mandarin, are part of the lower school learning adventure.

impressive, but it’s these teachers’ genuine love for children that makes St. Andrew’s students look forward to coming to school every day.

ST. ANDREW’S FOCUSES on skill sets students will use as part of tomorrow’s workforce. Students gain a strong foundation in the basics, but mastering grammar or learning multiplication tables are no longer end goals. Instead, those skills become the tools for more complex problem-solving.

The result is students who see the value in what they’re doing and are more engaged in their work.

“St. Andrew’s is a good fit for our family because it has everything we’re looking for in a partner as we educate our children — a strong academic foundation, an emphasis on God, a commitment to loving and accepting each other, varied cultural experiences, service to others, and making a difference in our world. The St. Andrew’s experience is like no other.”— Sonja Kerr, St. Andrew’s parent

LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS FIND the best way to encourage each child. Their professional credentials are

THE DISCOVERY CENTER — The lower school’s focus on integrated learning and the connection between different school subjects continues in the Discovery Center.

Designed for hands-on learning, the center features a science lab, maker space, technology suite, and library. Research, technology, and science are applied to projects that seem less like a class and more like the real world.

MAY D A Y

“ONE OF ST. ANDREW’S MOST BELOVED TRADITIONS is the lower school’s annual celebration of May Day. Parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends watch with pride as each class performs a song and dance and our fourth graders wrap the maypole. When we ask our alumni to name their favorite St. Andrew’s memories, almost all of them mention May Day. Many of the students I taught as first graders who are now adults still remember the words to the song they danced to as six-year-olds.”

— JUDY MENIST, first grade teacher

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St. Andrew’s middle school is its own distinct division that

NURTURES AND CHALLENGES STUDENTS.

CHOICE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL

Grades 5–8

The middle school helps students explore their individual strengths while grounding them in academics, arts, and athletics.

13 THROUGH ENGAGING ASSIGNMENTS, projects, and activities, middle school provides a rigorous but age-appropriate curriculum. Students choose from a number of electives and are encouraged to pursue their own interests and develop their unique talents.

Students are gradually given more responsibility and freedom, along with the support they need to navigate it. Middle school students grow not only academically, but also socially and emotionally.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAN BE A socially challenging time when students are forming their own identities. St. Andrew’s diverse community makes this age-old challenge easier.

When their peers represent many different backgrounds, cultures, and interests, students are less likely to feel like “the odd man out” and more likely to feel comfortable being themselves.

“It was important to us that Chloe go to a school that

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS KNOW HOW to strike the right balance between guidance and independence.

nourished academic excellence and a love for learning.

It was equally important that she go to a school that valued and appreciated diversity, including not only racial, ethnic, and economic diversity, but also diversity of thought. We chose St. Andrew’s because of its history of academic excellence and the value it places on diversity in the broadest sense.” — Joyce Marion, St. Andrew’s parent

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL — St. Andrew’s eighth graders make an annual trip to Heifer International’s Heifer Ranch in Arkansas, where they participate in a 24-hour, immersive experience that simulates life in struggling countries around the world. Students work together to find solutions to challenges they would never face at home and, in the process, develop new problem solving skills, empathy for people from other countries and cultures, and a greater awareness of the larger world.

The St. Andrew’s Honor Code

“ON MY HONOR AS A ST. ANDREW’S STUDENT, I PLEDGE THAT I WILL NEITHER LIE, NOR CHEAT, NOR STEAL.” Principles of honor and integrity are ingrained in the St. Andrew’s experience from pre-K3 through 12th grade.

St. Andrew’s upper school offers a challenging curriculum that

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PREPARES

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and encourages them to become inquisitive,

Grades 9–12

STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE

LIFELONG LEARNERS.

FOR UPPER SCHOOL

A classic liberal arts education features rigorous courses, including 18 AP classes, as well as a variety of electives and advanced courses offered at no other secondary school in Mississippi.

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STUDENTS CONTINUE TO HONE their critical and independent thinking skills through open-ended discus- “Few other schools allow students so much freesions with teachers and classmates.

INDIVIDUAL TALENTS, OPINIONS, AND interests are encouraged. Many upper school students may engage in self-directed work, conducting independent research projects; pursuing educational, athletic, and artistic opportunities outside of school; and even launching their own small businesses.

dom of choice in their education so early on.

St. Andrew’s offers established, classic programs, but you can also tailor your learning and extracurricular endeavors to pursue your own passions. St. Andrew’s allows you to control your education while still pushing you to be your best and make the most of every opportunity. At St. Andrew’s, I found that I could balance a personal life with school, sports, theatre, and student government. This set me up for great success at West Point.”— Alex Weisser ’14, United States Military

THE CULTURE of the upper school includes a respectful relationship between students and adults. Teachers and coaches inspire upper school students to consider not only what kind of college they’ll attend or what kind of career they’ll pursue, but what kind of person they want to be.

Academy at West Point ’18

THE MALONE ONLINE NETWORK — As Mississippi’s only member of the Malone Online Network, St. Andrew’s offers classes found at no other school in the state. St. Andrew’s students access classes in medical bioethics, linear algebra, quantum mechanics, Arabic, and other challenging courses taught by top instructors at independent schools nationwide.

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PERCENT OF ST. ANDREW’S GRADUATES ATTEND FOUR -YEAR COLLEGES.

WHETHER STUDENTS CHOOSE A RESPECTED state university, a prestigious private college, or a school in the Ivy League, St. Andrew’s provides the academic preparation and cultivates the critical thinking skills they need to succeed.

“AS THE REGION’S ACADEMIC LEADER, St. Andrew’s prepares its students for success at colleges and universities in Mississippi and nationwide. Our graduates are curious and outward-looking by nature, which explains in part our high out-of-state matriculation rate.

St. Andrew’s students are challenged to stretch themselves intellectually and in all other facets of their lives. This carries over to the desire to explore higher education at leading institutions regionally, nationally, and beyond.” — COLIN DUNNIGAN, director of college counseling

St. Andrew’s students in pre-K3 through fourth grade meet in the cheerful and inviting south campus in Jackson, Mississippi.

Students in fifth through twelfth grade attend classes on the 74-acre, open-air north campus in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

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CHOICE FOR STUDENT SUPPORT

STUDENTS CAN TURN TO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELORS IN EVERY DIVISION.

When students face academic, social, or emotional challenges the St. Andrew’s Student Support Services team is there to help.

SUPPORT SERVICES includes learning facilitators, counselors, chaplains, and nurses, all of whom bring the expertise, compassion, and care to serve as advocates for students of all ages.

THE LEARNING CENTER St. Andrew’s understands that every child learns differently.

As Mississippi’s educational leader, St. Andrew’s enhances the learning process for all of its students by providing extra challenges for gifted students and supporting students with learning differences.

LEARNING CENTERS on both St. Andrew’s campuses help students build on their strengths and address areas for growth. Trained learning facilitators work with any students who need help in specific subjects or want to improve their study skills. The Learning Centers also work one-onone with students with diagnosed learning differences, including dyslexia, ADHD, and language processing issues.

The Learning Center can make all the difference in a child’s success.

SCHOOL COUNSELORS School counselors are there for students who experience difficult times or need help processing emotions. Students can turn to professional school counselors in every division for help working through emotional or academic challenges, from forming friendships to conquering test anxiety, from the typical trials of adolescence to dealing with traumatic events. Counselors also work with parents, families, teachers, and other support services to make sure students get the help they need.

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“The St. Andrew’s Learning Center has changed our lives.

In kindergarten, our daughter was struggling with reading and math. When testing confirmed she had dyslexia, we panicked, but the learning facilitators assured us St. Andrew’s was set up to help her. They showed our daughter that she simply learned differently, they taught her the way her brain learned, and they assured her that she was just as smart as the other students. Her stress and anxiety melted away almost immediately. As parents, we cannot thank St. Andrew’s and the learning facilitators enough.” — Trudy Moody, St. Andrew’s parent

“ST. ANDREW’S BELIEVES that in addition to intellectual, artistic, physical, and emotional growth, spiritual growth and moral development are also significant to one’s life. We are intentional about helping our students grow and discover who they are in all those areas. By embracing our Episcopal tradition, we not only provide students the space and support to explore their faith, we also illustrate the importance of community and living in relationship with one another in a way that values love, compassion, and respect for one another as unique individuals, each beautifully created in God’s image.” — THE REV. KIRK LaFON, chaplain

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CHOICE FOR ATHLETES

St. Andrew’s offers the state-of-the-art facilities and an expert coaching staff to help student-athletes succeed, from gifted athletes preparing to compete at the college level to those who simply want to play because they love the game.

THE ST. ANDREW’S athletics program has been named Mississippi’s Best All-Around Sports Program in its class almost every year for the past quarter-century. On average, 80 percent of St. Andrew’s students in grades 7 to 12 participate on at least one of the school’s 25 teams. St. Andrew’s consistently wins state championships in multiple sports.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETES train in the 65,000-squarefoot Athletics and Recreation Center (ARC), the finest high school sports facility in Mississippi.

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL athletes train in the 65,000-square-foot Athletics and Recreation Center (ARC), the finest high school sports facility in Mississippi.

With dedicated space for fitness classes as well as organized team practices, the ARC supports the health and wellness of every St. Andrew’s student. The ARC is also the host facility for tournaments and competitions that attract high school athletes and college scouts from around the South.

ST. ANDREW’S stands apart from most area private and independent schools by competing in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), an organization comprised primarily of public schools. Membership in MHSAA ensures that St. Andrew’s athletes compete at the highest levels of Mississippi high school sports.

“ST. ANDREW’S IS THE BEST of both worlds as far as academics and athletics are concerned. We play against the top competition in the public schools, and we’ve proven that you can be excellent on the court and off the court. If parents have a child who wants to play against top competition, as well be challenged academically to prepare for the next level, why would you not consider St. Andrew’s? I want St. Andrew’s to be on every family’s list when they consider the best opportunities for their child.” — BRIAN CRONIN, head boys basketball coach

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VISUAL ART COURSES INCLUDE PAINTING, SCULPTING, CERAMICS, PHOTOGRAPHY, DIGITAL MEDIA, AND GRAPHIC DESIGN.

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CHOICE FOR ARTISTS

A well-rounded academic program emphasizes not only intellect, but also creativity.

ST. ANDREW’S fine and performing arts programs provide direction for artistically gifted students and enhance every student’s appreciation and enjoyment of the arts.

FROM PRE-K THROUGH 12th GRADE, students have opportunities to participate in the performing arts as musicians, vocalists, and actors. Students play in the band, sing in the choir, or perform in musicals and plays at every grade level. Visual art courses include painting, sculpting, ceramics, photography, digital media, and graphic design.

ST. ANDREW’S VISUAL AND performing arts facilities demonstrate the school’s commitment to the arts. The Faulkner Studios for Art and Music offer middle and upper school students well-equipped spaces for working in various media, as well as studios dedicated to band and choir classes. The Center for Performing Arts is an outstanding venue for musicals, plays, and concerts.

ST. ANDREW’S UNDERSTANDS that the brain has a right side and a left side, and that the smart choice is to nurture both.

“I’VE ALWAYS LOVED ART, but it wasn’t until my art classes in the St. Andrew’s lower school that, with the help of my teachers, I began to see art as my true talent. In middle school, my art teacher encouraged me to keep a steady sketchbook like a professional artist, and by upper school I was considering art as a career. My experiences in the art classes at St. Andrew’s were more than just educational. The teachers I loved were fundamental in sparking my creative abilities, furthering my talent, and helping me get into my dream school.”

— SARAH GERRETS ’18, student at the Savannah College of Art and Design

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THE ONLY PROGRAM OF ITS KIND IN MISSISSIPPI, THE GLOBAL STUDIES PROGRAM brings the world to St. Andrew’s and offers St. Andrew’s students the world.

CHOICE FOR GLOBAL STUDIES

St. Andrew’s offers the most comprehensive global studies program in Mississippi.

THE PROGRAM INCLUDES courses in world languages and cultures, history and geography, arts and humanities, and science and math, all from a global perspective. Global studies touches every grade level, preparing students to become productive citizens of their communities, state, country, and the world.

THE WORLD LANGUAGES PROGRAM begins with the study of Spanish and Mandarin in pre-K and continues into upper school, where students have the opportunity to study nine languages, including French, Italian, Latin, Mandarin, Spanish, Ancient Greek, and Arabic.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS have opportunities to participate in supervised trips nationally and abroad, while upper school students have multiple opportunities to live and study in other countries. St. Andrew’s typically offers a dozen international travel options each year focused on applied language learning or service projects. International exchange programs with partner schools in China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Peru, and Spain allow students to spend extended time studying and living overseas.

EXCHANGE PROGRAMS also bring students from around the world to St. Andrew’s, giving all St. Andrew’s students an opportunity to meet and learn alongside their peers from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds.

THE ONLY PROGRAM of its kind in Mississippi, the global studies program brings the world to St. Andrew’s and offers St. Andrew’s students the world.

“In Ghana, we visited the schools of many impoverished villages and cities. Despite their hardships, the children were some of the happiest I have ever encountered. I am grateful to have had this opportunity to serve others, but in the end, I think I might have been the one who benefitted the most.” — Ethan Chevalier ’18

THE GUILLOT GLOBAL FELLOWS TRAVEL GRANT PROGRAM — St. Andrew’s Guillot Global Fellows grant program provides funds for students who wish to complete service projects abroad. Students submit applications explaining where they want to travel and what they plan to study or accomplish while there. Recipients receive help funding their travel, with the stipulation they share what they learned with the St. Andrew’s community. Guillot Global Fellows grants have enabled students to study panda bears in China, shadow doctors in India, assist with humanitarian efforts in Ghana, and participate in other service projects around the world.

ST. ANDREW’S IS INCLUSIVE and supportive of the beliefs of others and shares the Episcopal Church’s commitment to respect the dignity of all people.

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CHOICE FOR COMMUNITY

St. Andrew’s is a close-knit community of students, teachers, and families of many faiths, cultures, races, and economic backgrounds.

ST. ANDREW’S commitment to a diverse school community enriches the experience of every student, teacher, and family that chooses to call St. Andrew’s their own.

FOUNDED IN the Episcopal tradition, St. Andrew’s is inclusive and supportive of the beliefs of others and shares the Episcopal Church’s commitment to respect the dignity of all people.

OUR STUDENTS and families come from every walk of life, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a place where they all feel welcome.

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—— CHOOSING TO SERVE OTHERS —— St. Andrew’s makes serving others a priority.

Pre-K students share food grown in the school garden with their Jackson neighbors, while lower school students sing at retirement homes and bake desserts for those in need at Thanksgiving. Twice annually, the entire middle school leaves the classroom behind for a full day of service at charitable organizations throughout the Jackson area.

Upper school students assume leadership positions, designing projects that benefit causes they personally champion. Service projects have ranged from teaching dance to inner city children to helping build a library in Nepal, from constructing houses in Mississippi with Habitat for Humanity to performing humanitarian work in Cuba.

At St. Andrew’s, students lay the foundation for lives filled with purpose.

“St. Andrew’s teaches us how to be good people in the world. How to interact with others. How to develop relationships. How to deal with failure, tragedy, happiness, and pride. When we are sitting in a class and are being told what our homework is, and that X equals Y, and that on this date a king was dethroned, we are also learning how to look carefully at experiences and appreciate them.” — Avery Stallings, Class of 2022

FINANCIAL AID AND MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS 33

St. Andrew’s offers an educational experience ranked among the best in the nation at a cost comparable to that of other area private and independent schools.

NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID Any admitted student in kindergarten through grade 12 is invited to apply for needbased tuition assistance.

MERIT SCHOLARS PROGRAM Merit scholarships are offered to academically gifted students with financial need entering grades 7 to 12. Academically gifted students who demonstrate strong moral character, a love of learning, and the need for financial assistance are encouraged to apply for the Malone Scholarship or the Arches to Excellence Scholarship. The amount of the scholarship varies, but it can pay up to full tuition and associated expenses.

WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL? — Independent schools differ from private or parochial schools in that they are supported by tuition, charitable contributions, and endowment income rather than by tax or church funds. Independent schools are free to define their own mission, regulate admission, establish their own credentials requirements for teachers, and teach what the school and teachers deem appropriate rather than being limited to state curricular, textbook, and testing mandates. Independent schools provide a unique atmosphere in which academic achievement is valued and intellectual curiosity is contagious.

We’d Love to

MEET YOU. THE ST. ANDREW’S MISSION To nurture a diverse community in the Episcopal tradition, fostering spiritual growth, moral responsibility, academic excellence, and artistic and athletic pursuits, while preparing for a life of service to our community and the world.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE OF ADMISSION. We would welcome the opportunity to give you a personal tour of our school, and introduce you to our best ambassadors, who are our current students and families.

PRESCHOOL AND LOWER SCHOOL (Pre-K3 through Grade 4) • South Campus 4120 Old Canton Road Jackson, Mississippi 39216 601.987.9301 • www.gosaints.org

MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UPPER SCHOOL (Grades 5 – 12) • North Campus 370 Old Agency Road Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157 601.853.6042 • www.gosaints.org

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY REGARDING STUDENTS — St. Andrew’s Episcopal School admits qualified applicants of any race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or sex (including gender and sexual orientation), to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate in violation of the law on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or sex (including gender and sexual orientation), in administration of its educational and admissions policies, offers of scholarship and financial aid, and execution of athletic or any other school administered programs.

ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL HAS BEEN THE SMART CHOICE FOR OVER 70 YEARS.