St. Mark's School of Texas

St. Mark's School of Texas, Founded in 1906 as the Terrill School for Boys with 42 students, today we serve more than 850 boys in grades one through twelve. As a school focused clearly on the education of boys, our teachers, coaches, and advisors understand and appreciate the unique nature of boyhood. With challenging programs designed to inspire, motivate, and stretch our students, St. Mark’s is a place where boys can be themselves, develop respect for others, and learn what it means to be a man of true character and integrity. Our mission at St. Mark’s is clear – we seek to develop men of character who will serve with intelligence, compassion, and integrity.

While excellence and achievement are prevalent in programs and activities across the campus, it is the character of the people that defines our School – faculty who care deeply about their charges and students who give freely to one another to continually strengthen the sense of community. Courage and Honor are two words commonly used to describe the ethos of our campus. As the School motto, these terms remind us what values underpin our mission and daily work.

If you visit our school you will quickly see that we have some of the strongest academic, athletic, artistic, and extracurricular programs imaginable. Our boys learn from teachers who are not only leaders in their fields, but are also individuals who truly love their work. St. Mark’s is a community that works together and is driven by a common purpose.

St. Mark’s School of Texas is a nonsectarian, college preparatory independent day school for boys in grades 1-12. The Charter states that the school is “designed to afford its students well-rounded physical, intellectual, moral, and religious training and instruction.” The St. Mark’s Board of Trustees intends for the school to be a diverse community of teachers and students who share a love of learning and who strive for high achievement in whatever they undertake.

Challenging studies in the Sciences, Arts, and Humanities form the basis of a St. Mark’s education. Teachers work to instill an enthusiasm for learning, to encourage independent and critical judgment, and to demonstrate the methods for making sound inquiries and for effective communication. To complement this academic experience, St. Mark’s offers boys a rich variety of opportunities for involvement and leadership in the school community and on its playing fields, to realize their potential, rewarding those who strive as well as those who achieve.

St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men for assuming leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world. To this end, the school professes and upholds certain values. These values include the discipline of postponing immediate gratification in the interest of earning eventual, hard-won satisfaction; the responsibility of defending one’s own ideas, of respecting the views of others, and of accepting the consequences for one’s own actions; and an appreciation for the lively connection between knowledge and responsibility, privilege and the obligation to serve.

Generations of Marksmen affirm that St. Mark’s provides one of the most rigorous and rewarding educations in the nation. An investment in education lasts a lifetime, and evaluating and honing the academic program remains a top priority. A boy’s character can be strengthened, and his capacity for leadership can be developed. Therefore, we approach character and leadership education with the same intentionality that we approach teaching math, science, English, foreign language, and history.

Teachers are the core of the St. Mark’s community. Whether they lead a classroom, inspire an athlete, keep the campus clean and secure, or manage the business of the School, every employee at St. Mark’s is an educator and supports the development of our boys.

Ongoing learning, improvement, and growth are essential to continued excellence. When professionals arrive on campus, we must provide a nurturing environment, outstanding growth opportunities, and a community of support. The School is dedicated to sustaining its commitment to great teaching.