Principia School

Serving children from infancy through grade 12, Principia School is a student-centered, future-focused coeducational day and boarding school. Creativity, critical thinking, and character growth are at the core of our program, which is grounded in the teachings of Christian Science.

A mother. Two young boys. (Make that three, with a friend.) An earnest desire to promote children’s moral and spiritual progress alongside their academic growth—and a commitment to Christian Science. From these seeds sprang the idea and institution that is Principia today.

Back in 1897, when Christian Science practitioner Mary Kimball Morgan began educating her two young sons at home, she wasn’t setting out to establish a school. Word spread quickly, however, among the thriving community of Christian Scientists in St. Louis, and by the next year 15 students were enrolled in “Mrs. Morgan’s school.”

Soon, the group moved from the Morgans' carriage house into a two-room storefront, and a second teacher was hired. Even more students started attending. And that's how—without fanfare, but with a firm foundation in the teachings of Christian Science—Principia officially began in 1898. Progress and growth followed quickly:

• The first high school class graduated in 1906.
• In 1910, the four-year program expanded to six years, resulting in one of the first junior colleges in the nation.
• In 1934, Principia’s new four-year liberal arts college, established across the Mississippi River in Elsah, Illinois, graduated its first class.
• By 1960, all levels of the School had moved to the current campus in St. Louis.
• Today, across both campuses, Principia enrolls hundreds of students from coast to coast in the U.S. and from many countries around the world.

From academics to athletics, the arts to dorm life, Principia School's campus is an ideal spot for testing theories, conquering limitations, enjoying quiet time, and having fun with friends.