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St. Andrew’sAmong
Top 20% in America
Marlo Kirkpatrick
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School ranks among the top 20
percent of all private high schools in the United States and is
the #1 private high school in Mississippi. Newsweek reported
the rankings in a February 3, 2021 article listing St. Andrew’s
#178 in its ranking of the nation’s top 1,000 private schools.
“The Newsweek ranking reinforces what we already
knew,” said Tom Sheppard, St. Andrew’s head of school.
“While we’re happy to be recognized as the best in Mississippi,
St. Andrew’s offers a national caliber education. Our ranking
as one of the top 20 percent of schools in America is
reflected in the caliber of our faculty and our programming
and in the achievements of our current students and our
alumni nationwide.”
Newsweek relied on criteria provided by Niche, a private
organization that annually ranks every K-12 school in the
United States, in compiling the rankings. Criteria included
academics, quality of faculty, teacher/student ratio, diversity,
college prep, sports programs, and clubs and extracurricular
opportunities. The national rankings were based on statistical
information, plus reviews by actual teachers, students,
and parents at each school.
Based on the Niche criteria, St. Andrew’s was the only
private high school in Mississippi ranked among the top 500
nationwide; the highest ranking by another Mississippi
private high school was #861.
Return on Investment
At $20,050, St. Andrew’s tuition was the sixth lowest on
the list of top schools in each state profiled by Newsweek.
The highest tuition on Newsweek’s top schools list was
$55,500. The average tuition was $30,762.
According to St. Andrew’s alumni, the school delivers a
strong return on that tuition investment. As senior vice
president of digital products with Rightpoint in Boston,
Ben Johnson, St. Andrew’s Class of 2007 and the school’s
2021 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, leads a team of
designers creating custom digital products for clients. His
clients have included Costco, Cadillac, Macy’s, Six Flags,
and Boston Dynamics.
“My parents prioritized my education by sending me to
St. Andrew’s,” Johnson said. “It was important to them that
I take academics seriously, but also that I was pushed to
explore different activities. My time at St. Andrew’s helped
shape my leadership skills and laid a strong foundation for
the work I’m doing today. I’m forever indebted to my
parents for seeking out the kind of education I received at
St. Andrew’s.”
Josh Clark, a 1990 graduate and founder of New Yorkbased
Southpoint Capital Advisors, agreed. “I graduated
from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and then earned my MBA
at Harvard. I can honestly tell you St. Andrew’s provided the
best education I ever had.”
Highest Caliber Faculty
A critical factor in the rankings was the caliber of the St.
Andrew’ faculty. St. Andrew’s recruits locally, nationally, and
internationally to find and hire the most talented educators
in every discipline. Almost 20 percent of faculty and staff
members are from out-of-state or overseas.
“Being part of a place that offers viewpoints that bring in
broad, worldwide perspectives is refreshing,” said Colin
Dunnigan, director of college counseling and associate head
of St. Andrew’s Upper School. “It’s meaningful to be part of
a faculty that sees its purpose as encouraging students to take
on intellectually challenging work in all subject areas. I see
St. Andrew’s as counter-cultural in a time when expectations
too often seem to be lowered, or the trajectory for students’
futures is narrow or self-limiting. Being part of the group
that shepherds students through such a place is rewarding
beyond measure.”
The faculty also includes St. Andrew’s alumni who chose
the school that shaped them as the best place to build a
rewarding career.
“As an alum of St. Andrew’s, I have the privilege to work
alongside many of the teachers who inspired me to teach,”
said 2003 graduate Marty Kelly, upper school English teacher.
“This ranking is validation for the hard work done day in
and day out by our faculty, staff, coaches, administration, and
especially our students. Mississippi is oft- maligned for lack
of educational achievement. I’m proud that St. Andrew’s
changes that narrative and that I get to be a part of that change.”
Hometown MADISON • 63