Goals and history
Our goals
- To treat all students as God's children, recognizing and nurturing individual abilities in academics, social development, and leadership
- To join with parents and guardians to provide children with the best possible academic, social, and spiritual opportunities
- To promote respect, understanding, and harmony within a school community that is ethnically and culturally diverse
- To enable the Episcopal Church to further Christ's mission by providing spiritual and material assistance to a diverse population
- To join with the greater Austin community and beyond to make a difference in the lives of our children
Our history
In November 1995, Kate Goode and Bruce Bennett from All Saints Episcopal Church contacted Father Bill Miller, the vicar of St. James' Episcopal Church, about sponsoring a first-class, affordable Episcopal school in East Austin. Father Miller, Gwen Chance, and others at St. James’ Episcopal Church had been discussing this very idea, and both groups began a conversation that would lead to the founding of St. James’ Episcopal School in the fall of 1996.
Deborah Way, who would become the first director of St. James' Episcopal School, joined Kate Goode, Bruce Bennett, Gwen Chance, and Father Miller in bringing to fruition the vision of an Episcopal school for children of diverse backgrounds. In September 1996, St. James' Episcopal School opened its doors and began its legacy of quality care, love, and education to children of varied religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds.
