St. Bernard Preparatory School

We are a Roman Catholic, co-educational, residential and day school located in northern Alabama. St. Bernard offers a rigorous college preparatory education steeped in the Benedictine tradition, designed to not only prepare students for college but to help them grow in body, mind, and spirit. We serve students from all ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. We invite you to come and see what makes St. Bernard a unique educational experience.

St. Bernard Preparatory School, founded by the Benedictine Monks of St. Bernard Abbey in 1891. We are a private, Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school, built on the 1,500 years of Benedictine tradition that has so positively shaped the world, especially in the areas of scholarship and service. Our purpose: the education of the whole person: Body, Mind and Spirit – thus our Latin motto: Corpus ∙ Mens ∙ Spiritus.

It is our aim that students acquire a love of what is true, good and beautiful, and to do so through a life of rigorously seeking to discover and appreciate those wonderful realities. We provide our students with a challenging and structured curriculum that equips them for independent thinking and prepares them for university studies, for a life-long love of learning, and for virtuous action.

On our campus students meet many opportunities to develop their talents, including sports and the arts; but they also find here the high expectations and guidance that mold the good character that leads to true happiness. Statement of Goals

• To instill a solid background in Christian teaching and practice and in the rights and responsibilities of being members of Christ’s Body the Church, of American society, and of the global community.
• To exemplify the Benedictine tradition of daily prayer and work.
• To lay a foundation in arts, humanities, science, and mathematics, so that everyday experiences may be a springboard to enhance students’ growth, continuing education, leadership skills, and service to others.
• To support extracurricular programs that create a proper balance between competitive and recreational activities.
• To foster a community environment for boarding students that nourishes personal growth through firm, consistent, and nurturing residential policies.
• To help students establish patterns of lifelong spiritual, mental, and physical health, so that they may face the questions, challenges, and problems in our rapidly changing society.