Admissions

Under the watchful eye of our faculty, students learn the ups and downs of physics at Thomas Jefferson School.

Education built for the whole student.

Finding the right school is personal.
We’re here to help you get to know TJ and decide if it feels right for you.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

Maybe you've always been the one with more questions than the class had time for. The one who wanted to keep talking about the book after everyone else had moved on. At TJ, that's everyone, and you've finally found your people.

Your classes are small, your teachers know your name on day one, and the subjects go deep. History, literature, science, math, and Latin, all of it taught as conversation, all of it asking you to read carefully, think hard, and say what you actually believe. Your teachers pay attention, and they're the kind of people who show up for you. Latin sounds intimidating until the day you realize a word you've never seen before is actually three words you already know, and suddenly two thousand years of language starts to make sense.

Outside the classroom, your classmates come from six different countries and many of them live on campus. There's always someone to do homework with, always a game happening on the lawn or a rehearsal running late. Day students come back on weekends to bake in the kitchen or bring their boarding friends home for dinner.

These aren't just classmates. They're the people you'll celebrate with when you get into college, the first call you'll make when you land your dream job, and the ones you'll come back to campus for, just to finish that argument about Shakespeare that you started in seventh grade.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

Maybe you've always moved a little faster than the room you were in. Asked questions the class didn't have time for, stayed curious after everyone else had moved on. At TJ, your classes are intense and the work goes genuinely deep. Our schedule is designed around something most schools don't trust students with: real stretches of unstructured time to think, explore, and follow an idea down whatever rabbit hole it leads to. As the years go on, more of your day opens up, and what you do with it is up to you. You manage your own time, work through hard problems alongside friends, and go find your teacher when you want to push something further.

The friends you make here grew up in different countries and came to TJ from lives that look nothing like yours. You'll disagree with them about things that actually matter, see problems through their eyes, and end up closer to them than people you've known for years. Living and thinking alongside people who are genuinely different from you makes you see the world more clearly, and care about it more deeply.

When it's time for college, your advisors won't hand you lists or run you through a formula. They'll sit down with just you, ask the questions that help you figure out not just where you want to go but who you actually are, and build your story from there. At TJ, that conversation starts early so that by the time you're ready to leave, you'll know what you're actually good at, what pulls at you, and what you might want to do with your life.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

Imagine discovering that the world is bigger, stranger, and more interesting than you knew, meeting people who become your closest friends before the first month is over, and finding a version of yourself you couldn't have predicted.

At TJ, the day has a rhythm that surprises most students. Classes are short and intense, built around conversation, and then the day opens up. You might spend your free periods working through a Latin translation with a friend, arguing about a history essay with a teacher who stopped by to see how it was going, or following an idea from this morning's science class somewhere nobody expected it to go. The subjects go deep here, and your classmates are the kind of people who are still thinking about the question after class ends. So are you.

The friends you make here came from across the country and around the world, and the closeness that comes from living and learning together is unlike anything you find in a regular school day. When you go home for weekends and breaks, you'll walk in the door with stories, ideas, and experiences you can't wait to share, and the feeling that there is so much more to come.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

You have a feeling there is more out there. People who are just as curious as you are, harder questions, a version of your days that moves faster and goes further. You're not sure exactly what it looks like yet. But you know you want to find it.

At TJ, the day is built around that feeling. Classes are short, intense, and driven by the students in them. The hours between them are yours to manage, you push ideas further with friends, find your teachers when you want to go deeper, and learn to run your own day in a way that most schools don't ask of you until much later. The subjects connect in ways you didn't expect, Latin showing up in your reasoning, a question from this morning's class still turning over in your mind at dinner. Somewhere in that rhythm you stop wondering what you're capable of and start finding out.

When it's time to apply to university, your counselor will have known you long enough to tell your story properly. The faculty writing your recommendations will describe not just what you achieved but how you think, and the universities reading your application will see someone who didn't just prepare for college but genuinely grew into it. The friends you made here will be the people you'll celebrate with when you get into college, call from the other side of the world, and come back to campus to find, just to finish that conversation about inheritable traits you started in ninth grade.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

Coming to school in another country is one of the most courageous decisions a family can make together. You want to be challenged, but you also need to know you will be cared for, and supported. At TJ, you join a community of fewer than 90 students from across the world, in classrooms small enough that teachers notice when something is off, and caring enough to do something about it.

In the classroom your voice will be drawn out gradually, by teachers who understand that confidence in a new language and a new culture takes time. You will share space and meals with students from different countries, but also with St. Louis day students who treat the campus as their second home and their boarding friends as family. Through those friendships, you gain not just a school but a city, and a community that extends well beyond the campus gates.

Many of TJ's international students arrive having been the strongest student in their school. TJ takes that strength seriously, and also offers something most students haven't had before: the freedom to make mistakes, to sit with a hard question, and to discover that figuring things out alongside people who genuinely care about you is the best kind of learning there is. By the time you graduate, you will have built a life from scratch in a new language, in a new culture, and discovered that the courage it took to start your journey at TJ was only the beginning of what you were capable of.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

Your grades are strong and your foundation is solid. What TJ adds is something specific: the ability to walk into a seminar at a top US or UK university, take a position on a question that has no obvious answer, and hold your own in the conversation that follows. Building that takes more than good teaching. It takes a particular kind of life. At a school this small, nobody disappears, and your teachers know the difference between a student who is struggling with an idea and one who is struggling with something more.

TJ goes well beyond the classroom. After class, your day opens up in ways that most schools don't allow, with real time to think, explore, and follow an idea as far as it will go. You will live alongside students from across the world, eat together, study together, and find a kind of friendship that only comes from navigating something hard together. Through your day student friends you will find yourself in people's homes, in the city, in a life that feels genuinely yours.

When it's time to apply to university, your college counselor will work with you personally from the beginning, learning who you are, what you care about, and where you want to go. The faculty who write your recommendations will know you well enough to describe not just what you achieved, but how you think. The universities reading your application will see not just a transcript, but someone who has stretched their mind, honed their voice, and earned their place in any room they choose to enter.

Where curious students find their people.

At TJ, the bell rings and nobody moves.

Established in 1946, Thomas Jefferson School enrolls fewer than 90 students across grades 7 through 12. The school motto is Arete, the ancient Greek word for excellence: living up to your full potential. It shows up everywhere: in the classroom, on the court, at the dinner table.

Classes are built around discussion, and every student is in the conversation. Faculty are closely involved in each student's academic and personal development, and because the school is small, students receive individual attention from people who genuinely know them.

Students work hard here. They also laugh, argue, and enjoy figuring things out together. The result is a community where students grow in confidence, find their people, and develop the habits of independent thought that carry far beyond graduation.

Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to learn more about Thomas Jefferson School.

What I value most about TJ is how personal it is. With fewer than 90 students, teachers really know the young people in front of them.

We approach admissions in much the same way. We want to know your child and what has brought your family to TJ, and we want you to know us just as well. By the time you make a decision, we hope you have a real sense of this place and whether it feels right for your child.

We look forward to getting to know you.

Alexis Boyer-Meyerman
Director of Enrollment Management

Start Your Application

Start the conversation

When you submit an inquiry, it comes directly to our admissions team. We review each one individually and follow up with you, usually within one business day.

At this stage, we are learning about your child. What kind of student they are, what they enjoy, what has been working well in school, and what has not.

About Your Child

Student First Name*

Student Last Name*

Entering Grade

Entering Year*

School Currently Attending

Family Contact

Parent First Name*

Parent Last Name*

Preferred Email*

Phone Number (Optional)

A Few Questions for You

Please tell us more about your child

(Max characters: 4000)

How did you hear about TJ?

Get to know us in person, or on a screen.

For families who can come to St. Louis, a Shadow Day is the most helpful way to understand the school.

Students attend classes alongside current TJ students. They sit around the table in discussion-based classes, where participation is expected and supported. They meet teachers who will know them well if they enroll, and they experience the pace of a full academic day.

They will also see parts of the day that are just as important as classes. Lunch with other students. Time between classes on a compact campus where everyone knows one another. The way conversations continue outside the classroom.

For families who are not nearby, we schedule Zoom conversations and can arrange meetings with faculty, students, or members of the leadership team. We also offer a guided virtual tour of campus.

Book a Shadow Day
Take our Virtual Visit

Apply

TJ uses the Standard Application Online (SAO), school code 7660.

The application includes transcripts, teacher recommendations, student essays, a parent statement, and standardized testing such as the SSAT. If testing is not yet available, we will still begin reviewing a file and can discuss alternatives when appropriate.

Grade 9 has a priority timeline. Other entry points follow a later schedule, and we continue to review applications on a rolling basis as space allows.

As materials arrive, our team tracks each application closely and will reach out if anything is missing or if clarification would be helpful

Domestic Admissions International Admissions

Interview

A conversation with the student

Every applicant meets with a member of the admissions team.
This conversation gives us a sense of how the student thinks and communicates. We often talk about classes they enjoy, books they have read, or how they approach something that is challenging.
Students do not need to be polished, what matters is their willingness to engage and think through a question.
For boarding applicants, interviews are often conducted over Zoom.

Admissions Review

Each application is read in full and brought to the admissions committee.

We consider academic preparation through transcripts and teacher feedback, but also how a student works. Teachers often tell us whether a student contributes in class, asks questions, or supports others in discussion.

We also consider how a student will do in a small school where classes meet every day and where there is little room to sit back unnoticed. The same faculty who teach classes are also present outside of class, offering extra help, leading activities, and supporting students in the evenings for boarders.

Each class is shaped intentionally, with attention to how students will learn from one another.

Decisions

Decisions are released in February for Grade 9 priority applicants and in March for the main admissions cycle.

Additional decisions are made on a rolling basis as space allows.

Families receive access to their decision through the portal, along with detailed next steps.

Our team is available to talk through the decision and answer questions.

Enrollment and Financial Aid

To enroll, families complete an enrollment agreement and submit a deposit. At that point, the student’s place is secured.

Financial aid is available on a need basis. Applications are reviewed individually, with attention to each family’s circumstances and the school’s available resources. While we are not always able to meet full demonstrated need, we work to provide as much meaningful support as possible.

Many families choose to speak with us directly about tuition, payment plans, and financial aid before making a final decision.

Financial Aid at TJ

TJ Tuition

Welcome to TJ

Preparing for the first day

After enrollment, we begin working with your family on the transition to life at TJ.

Students receive guidance on course selection and placement. Boarding families receive detailed information about dorm life, schedules, and expectations. New families are often connected with current TJ families who can answer questions from experience.

By the time school begins, students already know the structure of the day, have been in communication with the school, and arrive ready to step into classes, participate, and make friends from the start.

Why families choose Thomas Jefferson

I could not have been happier anywhere else. Every day, TJ challenged me in new ways and the faculty and students always supported me. TJ made me feel at home and confident.

TJ MADE ME FEEL AT HOME AND CONFIDENT.

Carter Cashen ‘23

I could not have been happier anywhere else. Every day, TJ challenged me in new ways and the faculty and students always supported me. TJ made me feel at home and confident.

TJ’S INTENSE SCHEDULE WAS PERFECT FOR ME.

Chase Albano ‘26

Ever since coming to TJ, I've found myself becoming more curious over the years, developing a true passion for subjects that I would've never given a second thought to previously. In essence, TJ is excellent at developing model students that genuinely make an effort to expand their knowledge and—in turn—contribute to society, which I feel is true after studying here.

YOU CAN BE SMART AND SILLY.

Laurie Shornick, Board President, Parent '17

TJ is a special place where you can be smart and silly at the same time.

TJ TAUGHT ME MANY NEW THINGS ABOUT MYSELF.

Yuliana Rust '23

TJ is challenging for everyone. The help that I got from my classmates was valuable and strengthened my bond with them. TJ is a place where I constantly pushed to work harder, and it taught me many new things about myself.

TJ HAS A GREAT COMMUNITY.

Aaron Yang '22

TJ has a great community, promoting mutual understanding between students and teachers. The schedule of the day and even the homework system all help to foster relationships. As a boarding student, support is crucial for me. The friendships—and hardships—people share here are extremely valuable experiences, ones that we are unlikely to encounter outside of TJ.

TJ HAS TAUGHT ME HOW TO OPEN MY MIND AND FIND MY OWN VOICE.

Willow Albano '22

TJ has helped me figure out what I want to be in life and has shaped me into the person I am today. It has taught me how to open my mind and find my own voice.

WRITING IS CLEARLY YOUR DEFAULT SETTING.

Graduate ‘17

TJ's English program makes writing clearly your default setting.

Why TJ?

The Thomas Jefferson difference

students maximum, across grades 7 through 12

6:1

student-to-teacher ratio

average class size

AP courses offered

1390 - 1530

SAT mid-50% score range

An investment in intellectual independence

The skills you build at TJ are exactly the ones that matter most right now.

We are living through a moment when a lot of what used to count as knowledge can be produced instantly. Facts retrieved. Essays generated. Answers on demand.

What is harder to produce is judgment. AI cannot feel the discomfort of a position that does not hold up, or learn from being wrong in a room full of people who notice. Students still have to do that for themselves.

Learning to question an easy answer, defend an idea, and change your mind when the evidence demands it has never mattered more. None of that is new at TJ. It is, in fact, the whole point.

A TJ education is a significant investment, and we want families to understand that investment clearly. You can find current costs and what tuition includes on our tuition page.

We also believe that cost should not stand in the way of a student who is a strong fit for TJ. Financial aid is available to families from a wide range of circumstances, and we encourage you to talk with us early in the process.