Thomas Jefferson School

Thomas Jefferson School, a co-educational, non-sectarian, independent day and boarding school located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, educates a purposefully diverse and deliberately sized group of academically talented students spanning grades 7-12.

It’s amazing how what we do at TJ resonates with people who cherish the life of the mind and understand the power of education. And I’m not just talking about adults, who have the privilege of hindsight— sometimes their children see it, too.

Many students decide to come to TJ based on an immediate feeling of connection, from the first moment they find us. Somehow, it’s just a “fit.” However, it doesn’t always happen that way. For some, a little more time and thought are required before the choice is made. Sometimes, coming here involves taking a leap of faith and getting into the experience. For those who are willing to take that leap and stay engaged, the pay-off can be tremendous. It’s what we all want: an educational experience that is second to none. This includes, in the near term, being extremely well prepared for college. In the longer term, it includes never having to say, “If only…”

Thomas Jefferson School gives its students the strongest possible academic background through a classical education. Within a nurturing community, students develop a responsibility for their own learning and a desire to lift up the world with beauty and intellect. To accomplish its mission, the school adheres to the following principles:

• Guided by the belief that motivated students with high ability are best served by an excellent liberal-arts program, we will engage students in the process of developing a truly educated mind, one that comprehends clearly and assesses critically the conventions and customs that make up their world.
• We will help develop in students the qualities that will allow them to succeed at TJ, at the next level of their education, and as adults—independence, honesty, courage, leadership, kindness, the habit of hard work, delight in learning, and a sense of responsibility for themselves and for others.
• Our students will engage in study and community building with adults who model these qualities both in and out of the classroom.
• Our students will live and work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, learning to respect feelings, beliefs, and customs that are different from their own.
• Honoring our founders’ vision that a learning community is strengthened by the continuous engagement and development of all its members, our faculty and staff will continue to grow as professionals and to participate in the decisions that affect them.

Many years ago, TJ selected the Greek word ὴ ἀρετή ("excellence") as its motto. The standard of excellence that shaped TJ in its infancy continues to guide the school today. Our primary goal is to prepare all students for the best possible college experience.

Since the beginning, the school has benefitted from an extraordinary level of commitment on the part of its multi-talented faculty. Teachers laid the school’s foundation and have been a integral part of charting the school’s course ever since. They carry on the work of the founders by expecting ὴ ἀρετή of themselves and of their students. With an emphasis on hard work and individual responsibility, TJ’s intense approach to foundational education fosters a level of initiative and self-reliance that is not often seen in middle and high school students. This serves our students extremely well as they move into college.

At TJ, the exchange of ideas becomes a way of life, and ideas are often valued more than answers. A classical liberal-arts approach to education is the basis for the TJ curriculum. Students immerse themselves in the fundamental college-prep areas of English, math, language, science, social studies, and art, choosing electives in certain areas as they get older, but sharing a core educational experience with peers across all grades. Students learn to think deeply and mine for knowledge and ideas, and they learn to demand that from themselves, their classmates, and their teachers.

A classical education means much more than the study of Greek and Latin. Its object of study is “the best that has been thought and said.” Above all, a classical education will push and keep wide open the two doors of higher learning: numbers and words. Therefore, we aim to ground students in the fundamental subject areas of English, math, language, history, science, and art over all six years of the program.