The hallmark of St. Andrew's was and always will be its strong sense of community. After all, it was this vision of a school with a strong sense of family and togetherness that brought the school to life all those years ago in 1952.
St. Andrew's is named for St. Andrew, the apostle who found the small boy with the loaves and fishes that Jesus later used to feed the multitudes. Andrew wanted to bring the young child to Christ so that he might receive a blessing. Much like St. Andrew, the leaders of the three Austin Episcopal churches, the Rev. Thomas Yerxa of Good Shepherd, the Rev. Scott Field Bailey of All Saints', and the Rev. Charles Sumners of St. David's, also wanted to bring children to Christ, but this time, by way of an education that developed them both mentally and spiritually. This early St. Andrew's community could not possibly have imagined all that would happen to the school they created with $4,000 and a dream.
St. Andrew's opened its door in the fall of 1952 with only 32 students in grades 1-3 in a large house on Pearl Street. Mignon Henry, a former teacher at All Saints', was the first director. The school eventually moved to its permanent home on 31st Street and has to date expanded to include two campuses and twelve grades. Since 1980, the Head of School and spirit of St. Andrew's has been Lucy Collins Nazro. It is her commitment to the founders' original goals that has allowed the school to hold on to its family sensibility even though it has grown and changed over the years.
Today St. Andrew's student body includes over 838 students and its faculty/staff is over 157 strong. Our community includes people of all faiths, backgrounds, races, and beliefs. Our alumni are living all around the world and are changing it for the better. We look forward to the future and to the new legacies that will undoubtedly become a part of the school's already rich history.
