Saint James School History

From a Kindergarten class of 20 children in 1955 to the current enrollment of over 800 students, Saint James School has developed far beyond its origins as a small school operating in the classrooms of a local church to become a leading, independent institution of K-12 learning in Alabama’s capital city. For more than 65 years, Montgomery parents have confidently chosen Saint James School to educate their children, prepare them for college, and inspire them to become the visionary leaders of tomorrow.

In the mid 1950s, the school opened its doors, housed in the classrooms of Saint James Methodist Church. Years later, property was purchased on Country Club Drive in 1970. The new campus provided classrooms and facilities to meet the needs of high school students. In 1974, Saint James School graduated its first high school class. A visionary Board of Directors, inspired by the school’s progress and prospects for future growth, leased a new facility in the city’s booming eastern region in 1982. With classrooms to serve a K-12 student body, complete with football and baseball fields, the new facilities on Vaughn Road provided the key to the school’s future development and expansion.

The 1990s ushered in a string of team sports state championships for the school, cementing Saint James as an athletics powerhouse in the River Region. Since, the school has celebrated 19 team state championships and more than 50 individual state championships.

In 1991, a new high school building was constructed on the Vaughn Road campus. After a devastating tornado destroyed the school’s elementary site on Vaughn Road (in the early morning hours on March 6, 1996) more construction was soon underway. Within 18 months, a new campus greeted returning students. Designed like a college campus, the modern facilities included a quadrangle, new middle and high school buildings, a large gymnasium, a performing arts building, as well as brand new elementary buildings.

Both Saint James campuses were consolidated at the Vaughn Road site in 2002-03, enabling the co-location of elementary, middle, and high schools all at one site, which we still enjoy today. During 2005-2006, Saint James celebrated its golden anniversary with a day full of activities recognizing 50 years of education excellence.

Saint James School opened its new dining and multi-purpose facility, The Commons, in 2019. This wonderful space allows all of our students and faculty to connect with each other while they enjoy fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals prepared on-site in our gourmet kitchen. The close-knit family atmosphere this creates plays an important role in our vision for the future.

Today, Saint James is proud of its diverse student population, with an average of 15 countries represented in any given year. We are equally proud to offer a broad mix of college preparatory classes and extracurricular programs that meet a wide range of interests in academics, arts, and athletics.

As Saint James looks towards the future, we will continue to provide an uplifting and engaging environment for our students, while intentionally helping them develop strength of character and the courage to live by our values. We are excited to honor the many traditions that make Saint James so special, while thoughtfully embracing the promising challenges of tomorrow.