St. Stephen’s enters the 2026-27 academic year continuing to cement its reputation as the school where Texans go to meet the world, and vice versa. Among the 709 enrolled Spartans are students from 27 countries, eight states, one U.S. territory, 20 Texas cities and 47 local schools. More than 20 percent of St. Stephen’s students receive financial aid for the 2026-27 school year. 

For the residential community, St. Stephen’s is expanding on its geographical representation goals globally, nationally and from within Texas, and sustaining historically strong retention rates. Incoming 6th graders came from an even split of public and private elementary schools, demonstrating St. Stephen’s broad local appeal.

St. Stephen’s grew its number of Texas boarders to 50 this school year, representing a diverse mix of students — from small towns to large, urban cities — driven to live a life of meaning and excel in the classroom, on the field and on stage. These students’ hometowns include Horseshoe Bay, San Antonio, Dallas, Fredericksburg, Lake Travis and Temple among many other cities. 

“We always get excited when we have an increased number of boarding students from Texas,” said Lawrence Sampleton, associate head of school for enrollment and financial aid. “It connects to the original mission of the school to provide an advanced academic opportunity for Texans living outside the state’s major metropolitan areas.”

Aside from a top-notch team of faculty and staff and dedicated athletic and fine art academies, Texas families and others from across the United States are drawn to St. Stephen’s globally diverse yet close-knit community. This year, St. Stephen’s expanded its boarding program to more than 30 countries and states, welcoming new Spartans from the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, England, Italy, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Spain.

Day students also come from an array of backgrounds. “We continue to bring in students from all over the city, from public and private schools, from very diverse educational, cultural and geographical experiences,” said Allison Center, senior associate director of admission. The 68 incoming 6th graders hail from 29 different Austin area elementary schools.  

Despite all the different languages, hometowns and cultures across The Hill, an “amazing” number of students return to St. Stephen’s year after year, said Sampleton. The schoolwide retention rate for 2026-27 is 92%, closely matched by boarding program retention. 

With a fall schedule full of visits across the state, the country and the globe, the admission team is already hard at work to further expand St. Stephen’s horizons and spread the word about the world-class education to be found on The Hill. Begin your St. Stephen’s journey, RSVP for upcoming admission events on campus and learn about the application process by visiting the St. Stephen’s admission page. 

2026-27 by the numbers:

• Total students enrolled: 709
• Middle School: 208
• Upper School: 501
• Day students: 531
• Boarding students: 178
• Percentage receiving financial aid/assistance: 22%
• Countries: 27
• States: 8
• U.S. Territories: 1
• Texas cities: 20