McCallie School

As a school, we rely on our unrivaled knowledge of how boys live and learn to craft programs inside and outside the classroom that are tailored specifically to their needs. Those programs reflect our passion for the work of inspiring boys and building men who leave here prepared to live lives of honor.

It is our hope that each person who joins our community here - whether as a student, a parent, an alumnus, or a friend - understands how special this place is, and truly grasps the importance of the work we do.

At McCallie, we believe in values that go beyond our innate gifts and talents, values that demand us to strive to be better people. “Honor - Truth - Duty” is at the core of McCallie’s mission because they are a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of being, active not passive, mindful not instinctive. McCallie is not about what you are born with, but who you can become through what you are willing to learn and to do.

Honor comes from an awareness that every person is an image bearer of God and has dignity and worth. That awareness creates a respect for ourselves, for others, for those who came before, and for those will come after. Honor, therefore, creates a respect that causes us to treat ourselves and others well, to speak and act with integrity and honesty, to do what is right regardless of circumstance or consequence.

Truth relates to what we know and how we know it. As a community of learning, we aim to understand, to pursue, and to proclaim intellectual and spiritual truth - respectfully, fearlessly, rigorously, and scientifically. As a community of faith, we acknowledge, as has been said before, that “all truth is God’s truth,” and in humility we affirm that we do not know everything, we know some things imperfectly, we allow for doubt, and we allow truth to shape, correct, and change us.

Duty flows from the command to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Duty teaches what we should love and what we should do. Duty calls us to put knowledge and affection into action, to consider others more highly than ourselves, and at times to disadvantage ourselves for the good of others. Duty causes us to serve others by using our gifts and talents in a meaningful way.

McCallie faculty do more than just deliver lectures—they engage students in discussions that are active and interactive. They also build relationships with students that last beyond the end of the semester— McCallie alumni regularly point to the mentoring and friendships of faculty as the most important part of their McCallie experience.

Learning is guided by teachers and advisors who see their work as a calling and who care first and foremost about their boys. Boys are inspired to give their best effort because they know and feel that passion. The comprehensive and challenging curriculum is carefully designed to develop the skills, knowledge, habits and mindsets needed to thrive and lead in today’s dynamic world.

Boys have unique ways of learning and developing. Everything we do at McCallie is customized to make boys’ learning exciting, engaging and efficient. We carefully study research about how boys’ brains are wired and how they learn. Classrooms are active, hands-on and often messy, with opportunities for movement, collaboration, and crashing into ideas—and sometimes even each other.

Explore our middle school curriculum and upper school curriculum for insight into the academic goals and philosophies of each department and detailed information about each class offered. The Upper and Middle School Blue Books offer comprehensive overviews of diploma requirements, school policies, extracurricular offerings, and other key information for your McCallie experience.