In the more than 60 years that we have been located at 4900 Jackwood, our parents and students have given us many reasons why they love being part of the STE community. It was difficult, but we narrowed down the list to 10 reasons (plus an honorable mention).

If you are a member of the STE community, get in touch with me and let me know what you love about the school. If you’re not yet a member of our community, read on to learn why you and your child will love being at STE.

10.  Accomplishments Abound.  STE students have won recent state (and in some cases national) awards in soccer, swimming, basketball, tennis, cross country, orchestra, choir, yearbook, theatre, Mock Trial, Quiz Bowl, Junior Classical League, drumline, bagpiping, and Scottish Highland Dancing. We are also highly rated on review sites such as Niche, GreatSchools, Yelp, and Facebook.   

9.  Culture of Inclusion.  We are a racially, religiously, and socio-economically diverse community, which helps our students grow in self-awareness, respect, acceptance, and real-world interactions.  Our community is not characterized by the sense of entitlement that is associated with many private schools. Learn more about why racial diversity is important to school choice.         

8.  From Toddlers to 12th Graders.  Our campus is home to the Preschool Program of Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Church in addition to our K-12 grades. There is a unique sense of family in a Preschool through 12th grade community. Teachers watch children grow into young adults and stay present in their lives, alumni maintain bonds with the school, and there is consistency of school mission from a student’s first day of school to their last. Learn about the many advantages of attending the same school throughout elementary, middle, and high school.

7.  Unique Scottish Arts Program.  We are among a select group of schools in the United States, and a small community of schools in the world, that offer bagpiping, Scottish drumming, and Scottish Highland Dancing. Our Pipe Band holds five international championships and has been #1 in the United States twice in recent years. Our drummers are currently #1 in Texas in the TAPPS drumline competition. Our dancers have produced 24 US champions and a world champion. Lastly, the Saint Thomas’ Alumni Pipe Band is currently ranked #1 in the world. 

6.  Caring Community.  Our community of teachers, parents, alumni, and church members are united in their commitment to our mission of forming honorable young men and women through a classical education centered in a Christ-centered worldview. Our small student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1 helps keep our learning environment close and personal. Our community also gathers to celebrate annual traditions such as Spaghetti Supper, Fall Fair, Splash Bash, Christmas Concerts, and our famous Sounds of Scotland.     

5.  Incredible Value.  While posting exceptional rankings, college acceptances, standardized test scores, and advanced class offerings, our tuition is 30% to 40% less than many of our private school competitors.

4. College Readiness.  One hundred percent of our graduates attend 4-year colleges and universities in a typical year. Our full-time college counselor meets individually with families beginning in ninth grade. We have outstanding acceptance rates to in-state universities, and our seniors receive offers from the most selective universities throughout the United States, such as Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Penn State, Rice, UT, Texas A&M, UC Berkeley, NYU, and Carnegie Mellon.

3.  Next Level Preparation. We often teach students at a grade level ahead of where they would be at other schools. For example, our first graders cover material most other schools cover in second grade, and so on. We also offer more Advanced Placement classes than most other private schools in Houston. Forty percent of our high school faculty possess an advanced college degree (a master's degree or higher).

2.  Classical Teaching.  The modern Classical Christian education movement began in response to schools largely presenting students with information rather than nurturing their ability to think. In the classical model, elementary students practice the foundational building blocks of learning (the grammar stage). Middle level students learn to be inquisitive and study the structure of ideas and arguments (the logic stage). High schoolers are taught to articulate their thoughts, while connecting information across academic disciplines (the rhetoric stage). 

1.  Christian Identity.  We acknowledge that God is truth, and this truth transcends what is earthly, limited, subjective, and self-centered. It is through Him that we grow in knowledge and wisdom. STE was founded on this principle and it guides students daily as the school is the largest outreach mission of Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Church. STE is ranked among the best Christian high schools and the best private K-12 schools in the Houston area by Niche.  

Honorable mention: Location.  Located in Meyerland near Bellaire and the Texas Medical Center, we are literally steps away from Target, Starbucks, Smoothie King, Escalante’s, Gugliani’s, Fadi’s, Becks Prime, Texans Fit, Chick-fil-A, First Watch Cafe, Russo’s, La Madeleine, Café Express, HEB, and many other retail stores, restaurants, and salons.

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Danny Kahalley, Director of Admissions at Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School, has fifteen years of experience in education administration and has worked for numerous schools and colleges in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas at the primary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate level. He has his bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and master’s degree from the University of Alabama.