Thomas Jefferson School

St. Louis

Missouri

United States

Overview

Thomas Jefferson School (TJ) offers an unparalleled college-preparatory curriculum in a close-knit, supportive academic community. For over 70 years TJ’s liberal arts approach has been a launching pad for college and professional success. College preparation is our speciality: all of our graduates move on to four-year colleges and universities across the nation and abroad. Average SAT scores consistently position TJ among the world’s top boarding schools. With a daily schedule of concise morning classes and a student teacher ratio of 8:1, students enjoy focused individual attention with faculty, advisors and staff. Students develop their academic talents as well as their autonomy. Most Junior students take two AP courses while Seniors take all AP coursework in their final year. Day students share dorm space on a picturesque 20 acre campus with boarding students from 26 St. Louis area zip codes, eight states and 11 countries. Students live and learn amidst faculty members and resident assistants in cottages throughout the grounds. The Charles Merrill building serves as the hub of activity housing classrooms and the dining room. Additional campus facilities offer access to athletics and the fine arts. Five-day boarding for regional families is a popular option. Nearly 30% of TJ’s families receive financial assistance. As a current TJ student has said “TJ is more than a school. TJ has given me my voice.”

Academics

Summary: 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. At Thomas Jefferson (TJ), you will learn Latin, Greek, and either French or Italian; you will read through and discuss a collection of books that are at once both timeless and timely; and you will write and face scrupulous line-editing almost every day, including while on vacations. On the other hand, you will also take an accelerated math sequence that culminates in AP calculus in either the junior or senior year. AP courses in science and history will also be required and will give you a head start on college. If you think you can’t do all this or if you think you have math anxiety or no imagination in reading, have faith! Practice and guidance will prepare you for pre-law or pre-med, history or computer science. We believe that you can do it, and we will help you through the hard parts. (We don’t pretend it’s not hard; we just think it’s necessary – and completely possible.) We don’t want a previous weak and lopsided background in high school to decide which door in life you choose to open. We want you to be able to choose freely. Liberal education, after all, has as its root and end freedom – freedom of the most important kind, intellectual freedom based on a head well filled and well formed. The job market will always be looking for that, and the world will always be better off for it. Finally, a classical education involves more than just the best books and study materials. It requires the active, patient, inspiring, demanding mentorship of well-educated adults who look for the best version of you. Plato needed Socrates, Alexander the Great Aristotle, and Thoreau Emerson. It requires a community of lively, motivated peers similarly engaged in the pursuit of the best and highest things. And it requires lofty goals to keep everyone looking up and ahead.

Department Director Jane Roth

Student/Teacher Ratio: 8:1

Average Class Size: 12

Summer Programs: Offered

Full Time Teachers: 13

Number of AP Courses Offered: 13

Teachers Holding Advanced Degrees: 93%

Number of IB Courses Offered: 0

Learning Support

Evening Study Assistance

English

Classics
Honors
Literature
Poetry

History

Classical History
Honors
Medieval History
United States History
World History

Foreign Languages

Humanities / Social Sciences

Economics

Sciences

Biology
Chemistry
Earth Science
Environmental Science
Physics

Math

Music

Choral Music
Music Appreciation

Performing / Visual Arts

Special Programs

Community Service

Campus Life

Dorm Life

Number of Dorms: 7

Average Students Per Dorm: 12

Number of Girls Dorms: 3

Number of Boys Dorms: 4

Dorm Amenities

Laundry Facilities
Wireless Internet

Other Dorm Amenities

Private bathrooms

Facilities

Basketball Court
Fitness Center
Indoor Basketball Court
Technology Center
Volleyball Court

Other Facilities

Athletic Field Tennis Courts

Clubs & Organizations

Astronomy Club
Chess Club
Community Service
Computer Club
Dorm Proctors
Drama Club
Food Council
Gardening Club
Literary Magazine
Mock Trial
Newspaper
Photography Club
Student Activities
Student Government
Student Publications
Yearbook

Arts & Athletics

Summary: Each student takes a fine-arts course every year from September until spring break. These classes meet twice a week on Wednesday and Friday afternoons for 60 minutes. The fine-arts curriculum includes art- and music-history courses of various types, which give the students a basic knowledge of some major art forms and their importance in history and civilization. It also includes studio courses, which allow students to develop their own artistic skills. There are several opportunities for student performance and exhibition throughout the year, including a show of student artwork in the Visual Arts Gallery. Students are also required to attend performances of music and dance or visit galleries and museums depending on which course they are enrolled in. Every student participates every year in athletics, and the year is divided into three athletic seasons. Seniors are exempt from athletics for one trimester (their choice). Students can choose between team sports and individual or recreational activities.Because team sports require competition with other schools, they also require a greater time commitment with longer practices (one hour, four days per week) and afternoons devoted to scheduled games. TJ competes in the Missouri Athletic Conference (MAC), and our competition includes other small schools in the region. The chance to play on one or more of the varsity teams is offered to all students but forced on none. Students with special skills or interests may be permitted to pursue them off-campus in place of our offerings.

Arts Department Director: Karen Fairbank

Athletics Department Director: Boaz Roth

Notable Achievements: 2012 national YoungArts award winner High School Collaborative Arts Program UMSL Girls Basketball 2012 Conference Champions

Arts

Interscholastic Sports

Basketball
Soccer
Volleyball

Recreational Sports

Aerobics
Basketball
Tennis
Weight Lifting
Yoga
Fitness

Graduates

College Information

Percentage of graduates who attend college: 100%

Middle Percentile of SAT Scores	Reading	Math	Writing
25th percentile
75th percentile

Quotes From Alumni

“With TJ's academic rigor comes both a sense of accomplishment and a profound love for the pursuit of knowledge.”

-Henry Agbo, Class of 2005, Harvard University class of 2009

“I have come to realize that independence is a rare commodity. Seeing my new college friends struggle to manage their time and school work really made me realize what a wonderful gift TJ has given me.”

-Lacy Wood, Class of 2005, Loyola University Chicago class of 2009

Merit

Merit Scholarships: Offered

Students Receiving Merit Scholarships: 1%

Average Merit Scholarship: 2,500

Current Endowment Amount: $1,624,849

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Vital Information

Student Body Type: Coed

Total Boarding: 40

Total Day: 43

Total Enrollment: 83

Boys: 49

Girls: 34

Boarding Grades Offered: 7-12

Day Grades Offered: 7-12

School Type: Middle, High School

Dress Code: Formal

Applications Accepted: SAO

Application Deadline: Rolling

Tuition & Financial Aid

7-Day Boarding: $56,100

5-Day Boarding: $51,850

Day Tuition Fee: $29,950

Need-Based Aid: Offered

Payment Plans: Offered

Students Receiving Aid: 38%

Average Awarded: $23,323

School Finances