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Saint Louis Priory School

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Saint Louis Priory School
Location
Map
500 South Mason Road

Creve Coeur
,
Missouri
63141

United States

38°38′39″N 90°28′44″W / 38.644193°N 90.478863°W / 38.644193; -90.478863
Information
TypePrivate college-preparatory school
MottoLatin: Laus Tibi Domine
(Praise to Thee, Lord)
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic (English Benedictine)
Established1956; 70 years ago (1956)
Interim headmaster
Scott Welz
Faculty51
Grades6–12
GenderBoys
Enrollment350 (2026–27)
Student to teacher ratio
7:1
Campus size
150 acres (0.61 km2)
ColorsRed and blue
   
Athletics conference
Metro League
NicknameRavens
AccreditationISACS[1]
NewspaperThe Record
YearbookThe Shield
Tuition
  • $26,700 for grade 6
  • $31,500 for grades 7–12[2]
Affiliations
Websitepriory.org

Saint Louis Priory School is a Catholic college-preparatory school for boys on a 150-acre campus in Creve Coeur, Missouri, within the Archdiocese of St. Louis.[6] The school is operated by the Benedictine monks of the Saint Louis Abbey.

History

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The school was established in 1956, at the invitation of St. Louis Catholics, by the Benedictine monks of the Ampleforth Abbey in Yorkshire, England.[7] The corresponding Priory of Saints Louis and Mary (now Saint Louis Abbey), a Benedictine monastery, was established in 1955. The priory, which is a member of the English Benedictine Congregation, became independent of Ampleforth in 1973, and was elevated to an abbey in 1989.

The founding prior of the abbey in St. Louis, from 1955 to 1967, was Fr. Columba Cary-Elwes, an author, monastic leader, and former titular Abbot of Westminster. The founding headmaster was scholar and author Fr. Timothy Horner, who also founded the school's first athletic team, the Rebel Ruggers.

The history of the monastery and school was chronicled in 2001 by founding monk and original headmaster Fr. Timothy Horner in his In Good Soil: The Founding of the Saint Louis Priory School 1954–1973. In this history, Horner describes the initial contact with St. Louis Catholic laymen, and explains the process of founding a new school in the English Benedictine Congregation.

As Horner notes in In Good Soil, the purpose of school, as conceived by the lay St. Louis Catholics who initiated the project, was to "offer its students a Catholic-college preparatory education of the highest excellence so as to enter the colleges, universities, and technical schools of their choice".[8.1] By the middle of the 20th century, Catholics had gone to great lengths to develop their own educational system and were expected to support it, so the fact that the school was founded with a view to sending its alumni to non-Catholic colleges was something of a departure for the time.[8.2]

In the 2025–26 school year, Priory added a 6th grade program, called Form A.[9]

The Abbey Church on the campus shared by Saint Louis Priory School, Saint Louis Abbey, and St. Anselm Parish.

Academics

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Priory operates on a trimester schedule and organizes grade levels using a form system, with Form A corresponding to grade 6, and Forms I–VI corresponding to grades 7–12, respectively. The curriculum includes required classes in theology for all Forms, while Latin is required for students in Forms I–III and optional for Forms IV–V. Standard classes in the humanities, mathematics, sciences, and modern languages are also required.[10] Ancient Greek has also been offered at the school since its opening.[11] The school offers Advanced Placement courses and advanced college credit through the Saint Louis University 1818 Program.[12]

All students in their final year are required to complete a senior thesis or exhibition, a two-trimester research or creative project.[13] Some theses have attracted national media attention, including a Rubik's Cube mural of St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial[14] and a baseball-throwing prosthetic arm for a student's father.[15]

The Washington Post ranked Priory second, and the top private school, in Missouri, in its 2016 list of "America's Most Challenging High Schools".[16][failed verification] Niche ranked Priory the best Catholic high school in both Missouri and the St. Louis area in 2027, and Priory ranked sixth on the site's list of best private schools in the St. Louis area and seventh in the state. Niche also ranked it the best all-boys school in both the St. Louis area and Missouri, and the thirty-ninth best in the country.[17]

Athletics

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Priory is a member of the suburban Metro League, which was reconstituted out of the former ABC League.[18] The school is a full member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), and it primarily competes in sports sponsored by the association.[19]

Mascot

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When the school was founded, the sports mascot was the Saints. In the '60s, "under the influence of a charismatic history teacher who specialized in the Civil War", it was changed to the Rebels, referencing the Confederate States of America. Initially, this link was obvious and the students used Confederate symbols to show pride in their sports team, including a giant painting of General Beauregard on the gym walls.[20] Over time, this link weakened and explicit symbols of the Confederacy went away. In 2020, the mascot was officially changed to the Ravens.[21]

State and tournament championships

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In the winter of 2004, the hockey team received a bid to play in the Wickenheiser Cup, a memorial tournament hosted by the Mid-States Club Hockey Association league and named for the late St. Louis Blues Center Doug Wickenheiser. Priory won the championship game at the Scottrade Center, giving the school its first state sports title since 1973.[22] In 2007, 2022, and 2026, the hockey team also won the Wickenheiser Cup. Four times is the most by any high school in tournament history.[23]

In the fall of 2005, Priory's varsity soccer team became the first in the sport in Missouri's high school sports history to compete for a full season with no losses or ties since MSHSAA began its state championship tournament in 1968.[24] Led by All-American forward Jimmy Holmes, the soccer Rebels ended the season with a perfect 26–0–0 record, winning the Class 2 state title. In November 2011, the team again produced a perfect season, finishing 27–0–0 and winning the Class 2 championship with a 2–0 victory over Trinity High School. In so doing they became the only school in Missouri high school soccer history to twice post a perfect season. The soccer Rebels' team record included 24 shutouts, and they outscored opponents 107–5.[25]

In the spring of 2007, the Priory golf team won its first state title,[26] winning by 27 shots. The final team score was 583.[27][permanent dead link] The golf team again won a state championship in 2018.[28]

A little over half a decade after establishing a lacrosse program, Priory's varsity lacrosse team won its first Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association state title in 2016 by defeating O'Fallon (Illinois) 7–6 in the double overtime Division II championship final.[29][30]

Student life

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The school has over 30 listed clubs.[31]

The Medieval Arts Guild, known officially as the Guild of St. Columbkille, offers students the opportunity to learn arts including calligraphy and stained glass.[32] Led by the late Br. Symeon Gillette, the Guild created the Millennial Window in 2000 and the Jubilee Window in 2005, which are large stained-glass windows made of over 15,000 pieces of glass in the high school's lobby.[33]

In 2007, Priory's mock trial team won the Missouri High School Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and went on to place 4th of 40 teams at the National High School Mock Trial Championship.[34] More recently in 2024–25, the team placed 3rd in the state competition.[35]

The ViPrs Robotics Team, co-sponsored by Priory and the all-girls Visitation Academy of St. Louis, competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition.[36] In 2025, the team won their regional competition and advanced to the World Championship.[37]

Priory competes in MSHSAA-sponsored Scholar Bowl, a quiz-bowl competition, and has won a total of five state championships, including 1999, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2024.[38]

Notable people

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Alumni

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Government and politics

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Business

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Sports and entertainment

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Arts and sciences

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Faculty

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References

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  1. ↑ "Member School Directory". ISACS. Retrieved August 5, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Tuition & Financial Aid". Stlprioryschool.org. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Saint Louis Priory School". National Association of Independent Schools. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  4. ↑ "St. Louis Priory School". National Catholic Educational Association. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Saint Louis Priory School". Independent Schools of St. Louis. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Zoning Map". Creve Coeur, Missouri. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  7. ↑ "About Priory". Saint Louis Priory School. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  8. Horner, Timothy (2001). In Good Soil: The Founding of Saint Louis Priory and School, 1954–1973. Saint Louis Abbey Press. ISBN 0966210417. OCLC 49037278.
    1. ↑ p. 14
    2. ↑ p. 15
  9. ↑ "Priory Announces New 6th Grade Program". Saint Louis Priory School. January 23, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Curriculum and Course Offerings". Saint Louis Priory School. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ Rice, Patricia (December 8, 1991). "Students Interested in Classical Greek Score a Victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 25, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: miscellaneous url (link)
  12. ↑ "2026–2027 Profile" (PDF). Saint Louis Priory School. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Senior Thesis". Saint Louis Priory School. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  14. ↑ Larimer, Sarah (October 7, 2015). "Teen uses Rubik's Cubes in least dorky way possible, creates Stan Musial mural". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  15. ↑ Tam, Paulina; Landrigan, Kelly; Francis, Enjoli (March 12, 2018). "Teen builds baseball-throwing prosthetic arm for father injured during Iraq tour". ABC News. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  16. ↑ "U.S. high school rankings by state — Most challenging schools". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Saint Louis Priory School Rankings". Niche. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  18. ↑ Auten, Brett (May 21, 2010). "ABC League to become an expanded co-ed conference". STLtoday.com. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  19. ↑ "MSHSAA Member Schools". Missouri State High School Activities Association. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  20. ↑ "A Joint Message from Abbot Gregory and Father Cuthbert Regarding Mascot". July 6, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  21. ↑ Palermo, Gregg (December 16, 2020). "Saint Louis Priory Announces Mascot Switch". Fox 2 Now. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  22. ↑ stltoday.com. "STLhighschoolSPORTS.com". stltoday.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  23. ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "CBC routs Chaminade for ninth championship", February 27, 2007.
  24. ↑ Lyons, Joe (November 13, 2005). "Undefeated Priory wins 1–0". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006.
  25. ↑ Uptain, Greg. "Priory is perfection: Win against Trinity in title game caps 27-0 season". stltoday.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  26. ↑ Mayes, Warren (May 9, 2017). "Priory earns ticket to Class 3 state tournament by winning sectional golf tournament". West News Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Sports wrapup". St. Louis Review. Retrieved May 22, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ↑ Kenny, Joseph (July 27, 2018). "Priory golfers still basking in glow of a state title". St. Louis Review. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  29. ↑ Hall, Josh (May 29, 2016). "Priory makes extra wait worth it by beating O'Fallon for first state title". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  30. ↑ Kenny, Joseph (June 1, 2016). "Trust, fun had role in Priory lacrosse's success". St. Louis Review. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Priory Clubs and Activities". Saint Louis Priory School. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Remembering Brother Symeon Gillette, O.S.B." Saint Louis Priory School. June 9, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Brother Michael Symeon Gillette, OSB". St. Louis Review. December 19, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  34. ↑ "The Saint Louis Abbey Journal 2006–2007" (PDF). Saint Louis Priory Alumni. p. 32. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  35. ↑ Rempe, Thomas. "Priory Mock Trial Team Places 3rd in State Competition" (PDF). The Magazine of Saint Louis Priory School. Fall 2025: 24.
  36. ↑ "Introducing the ViPrs". ViPrs1329. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Robotics Team Competes in World Championship" (PDF). The Magazine of Saint Louis Priory School. Fall 2025: 23.
  38. ↑ "MSHSAA Priory High School State Championships". Missouri State High School Activities Association. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Carl Artman". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Heffern, John A., 1953-". SNAC. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  41. ↑ Mannies, Jo (February 10, 2017). "Missouri Attorney General Hawley addresses Democrats' residency concerns, rents apartment". St Louis Public Radio. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  42. ↑ Hamilton, Keegan (November 4, 2009). "Hallowed Be Thy Name: A member of the Schlafly clan figures to do the Lord's work by cleansing the Bible of its 'liberal bias'". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021.
  43. ↑ Yearbook. Creve Coeur, Missouri: Saint Louis Priory School. 1974. p. 21.
  44. ↑ Benn, Evan. "A Busch gets back into the beer business". stltoday.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  45. ↑ Dillon, D. (2005) So Where'd You Go to High School? Vol. 2, Virginia Publishing.
  46. ↑ "Resolution No. 241". Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
  47. ↑ Feldt, Brian (April 24, 2014). "Priory graduate named Facebook CFO". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  48. ↑ Russell, Stefene (July 17, 2015). "And Then the Whole World Changes". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  49. ↑ Leftridge, Steve (May 9, 2024). "Standup Comedian and Musician Tim Convy is Flying High". Riverfront Times. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  50. ↑ Hill, Tess (July 11, 2016). "Accidental celebrity turned author comes home". FOX 2. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  51. ↑ Mayes, Warren (September 5, 2023). "SLU grad continues family's soccer prowess on field for CITY SC franchise". West News Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  52. ↑ "St. Louis Hometown Stories: Kevin Kline, Actor". St. Louis Magazine. February 24, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Ben Noll football statistics". StatsCrew.com. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  54. ↑ Priory Magazine Fall 2025, p. 51
  55. ↑ WorkWrite (February 24, 2023). "Eddy L. Harris: On the Road". Medium. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  56. ↑ "John Keene". New Directions Publishing. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  57. ↑ "A Rich Legacy". St. Louis Abbey. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  58. ↑ Mayes, Warren (January 23, 2026). "Priory looks to return to postseason hockey success under Cavallini". West News Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  59. ↑ Mayes, Warren (April 18, 2025). "Priory names new football coach". West News Magazine. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  60. ↑ "Author Bio". J. Augustine Wetta. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
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