St. Stephen's Episcopal School is a private coeducational preparatory boarding and day school in Austin, Texas. Enrollment for the 2019-20 academic year is approximately 694, with 487 students in grades 9–12 and 207 in grades 6–8. Of the school's 694 students, 523 are day students and 171 are boarding students. The school's campus overlooks Lake Austin and is spread across 370 acre of the Texas Hill Country. The school is accredited by The Association of Boarding Schools, Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, the Southwestern Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, National Association for College Admission Counseling, and the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools.

History

Bishop John E. Hines of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas founded St. Stephen's Episcopal School in 1950. He was once quoted as saying that it was the duty of Christians "to live on the bleeding edge of the human dilemma". Hines believed girls should have equal access to education, and St. Stephen's was the first Episcopalian co-educational boarding school in the United States. The school also played a part in the 20th-century Civil Rights Movement as the first integrated boarding school in the South.

Governance

St. Stephen's has a board of trustees, including alumni and parents of former students. Day-to-day operations of the school are overseen by a head of school, who is appointed by the board of trustees with the consent of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. The current headmaster, Christopher L. Gunnin, was appointed in 2016. Currently there is a boarding program, with students supervised by a team of roughly 38 full-time staff, as well as proctors (junior and senior students selected by staff to serve as mentors).

Religion

All faiths are welcomed, encouraged, accepted and celebrated at St. Stephen's Episcopal School. Chapel services are held in the early noons, in the form of a traditional Episcopalian worship service, sometimes featuring guest speakers and announcements. A weekly Sunday morning church service takes place during the school year, and boarding students are required to attend.

Notable alumni