Welcome to St. Stephen’s
This collection of pages was created for current and prospective families seeking more information on our Montessori curriculum for students ages 15 months through 8th grade.
Whatever the age of your student, they will be welcomed, accepted, known, and guided throughout their academic journey at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Houston (SSESH). Please reach out to admission@ssesh.org with any questions; we are here to help.
Contact Us
Office of Campus Life
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Houston
1800 Sul Ross
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 821-9100
admission@ssesh.org
Welcome to Orientation
15 months – 3 years old
Here at St. Stephen’s, your child will be nurtured and guided in an age-appropriate curriculum featuring math, language, and practical life skills. In our classrooms, we love to learn, we are responsible for our classroom environment, and we are good to our friends. We offer half-day, full-day, and extended care options to meet your family’s schedule.
Welcome to Primary
Pre-K (3 years old) – Kindergarten
In our Primary program, learning becomes intentionally curricular, supporting the development of reasoning and perception. Experienced teachers gently employ the Montessori Method to instill responsibility for student-centered learning and inquiry. Kindergarteners graduate from the Primary program as confident readers, emerging writers, mathematicians who understand the “why” behind simple operations, and builders in our da Vinci Lab for Creative Arts & Sciences.
Welcome to Elementary
1st – 6th grade
We take joy in practicing the Montessori Method. Our Elementary program serves students in 1st – 6th grade. We believe in educating the whole student to the fullest of their potential.
In Lower Elementary, students create and execute their own work plans in collaboration with their Montessori-trained teachers. The Lower Elementary student gains competency and confidence in math, language arts, science, history, and geography. Broad concepts are first explored, and then specific details are examined in depth. Students are introduced to the process of research and frequently work in small groups to discover additional information. Engaged in project-based learning, students learn how to delve deeper, work together, and take turns in leadership roles. Through daily class meetings focused on issues of general concern and centered on kindness and respect, Lower Elementary students build their classroom community.
In Upper Elementary, increased emphasis is placed on self-management and research skills. Students are given weeklong assignments and are responsible for planning and organizing their work and time. Teachers and students are empowered to explore the curriculum further and farther, leveraging an individually paced curriculum and robust courses in STEM, language arts, humanities, and fine arts. As members of a tight-knit community of learners, new and incoming students are encouraged to take academic risks and advocate for themselves. Upper Elementary students thrive in the stretch zone of learning, utilizing higher-level thinking skills, including analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Welcome to Middle Years
7th – 8th grade
The SSESH Middle Years program combines honors-level coursework, robust STEM curriculum, and diverse arts electives. Our curriculum is tailored to the aptitudes of each student and our high school prep is unparalleled. The SSESH Middle Years program yields a student who is prepared for high school, and beyond.
Montessori in Montrose
Welcome to St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Houston, a private school located in the Montrose area near the Museum District and Rice University.
We serve students from 15 months old through 8th grade. We are a progressive Episcopal school, rooted in our values, accepting families of all faiths, backgrounds, and lifestyles.
K – 8th >> Montessori, STEM, Fine Arts, and More!
St. Stephen’s offers Kindergarten through 8th-grade students individualized work plans featuring hands-on, project-based learning founded on Montessori pedagogy and STEM in our makerspace – the da Vinci Lab for Creative Arts & Sciences.
Our core curriculum is enriched with vibrant classes in robotics, da Vinci Classroom, film, fine arts, music, P.E., and Spanish. The Bulldog 360 program features an array of curated and age-appropriate courses after the school day.
In our mixed-age classrooms, students take on roles as both mentees and mentors, learning from each other as well as from their experienced, Montessori-certified teachers.
- Explore Orientation: 15 months – 3 years >> Welcome to Orientation
- Explore Primary: 3 years – Kindergarten >> Welcome to Primary
- Explore Elementary: 1st – 6th grade >> Welcome to Elementary
- Explore Middle Years: 7th and 8th grade >> Welcome to Middle Years
Ready for High School, and Beyond!
St. Stephen’s high school prep and counseling are unparalleled. While we do not teach to the test, our 8th graders perform exceptionally well on standardized entrance exams, including the ISEE.
Our 8th graders gain entrance to the top high schools in Houston, including the following recent admissions.
- Carnegie Vanguard High School
- Emery Weiner School
- Energy Institute High School
- Houston Academy for International Studies (HAIS)
- HSPVA
- Incarnate Word Academy
- Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions
- St. Francis Episcopal School
- St. Pius X High School
- St. Thomas High School
- Westbury Christian School
Our Core Values
At St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Houston, we are grounded in our Core Values of affirming individuality, practicing service, questioning everything, building relationships, and cherishing the future. We create a space where students are intrinsically motivated to succeed and can fail in a safe environment, where all are welcome, and where inquiry takes flight in the classroom, in the community, and in Chapel. At St. Stephen’s, we believe.
Learn More
We invite you to take a look through our website, to learn more About Us and our Curriculum. Take a moment to explore how we teach Math and Language Arts. You may also be interested in our Extended Care program and our after school enrichment program, Bulldog 360. Should you have any questions, please reach out to: admission@ssesh.org
SSESH NEWS
Chamberlain Hrdlicka Sponsors St. Stephen’s STEM Program
Chamberlain Hrdlicka is sponsoring the STEM program at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Houston (St. Stephen’s or the School) for the 2022-23 academic year. The $10,000 grant will fund the robotics program, in its first year of launch, as well as STEM programming in the da Vinci Lab for Creative Arts & Sciences (da Vinci Lab), a vibrant makerspace on the St. Stephen’s campus since 2015.
St. Stephen’s 4th – 8th graders will benefit from computer software and hardware enhancements as well as additional LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor kits, including intelligent hubs, motors, and sensors. Funding from Chamberlain Hrdlicka will also support immersive STEM learning experiences for Upper Elementary and Middle Years students, such as:
- the direct radio contact on October 3, 2022, between St. Stephen’s students in the da Vinci Lab and Astronaut Bob Hines aboard the International Space Station, orbiting 254 miles above Houston;
- Balloon launch teams, which offer students a practical use of weights, volumes, chemistry, and geodesy by way of tracking Pico balloons around Planet Earth and formulating related projections;
- the da Vinci Lab’s progressive radio curriculum, including fox hunts, which combine scavenger hunts in nature, Morse code, radio technology, and a healthy dose of competition and fun; and
- field trips and guest speakers, which opportunities leverage Houston’s unique identity and bright future as a STEM hub.
Read more: Chamberlain Hrdlicka Sponsors St. Stephen’s STEM Program
Dr. Troy Roddy to serve as the next Head of School at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Houston
A parent, husband, teacher, administrator, and coach, Dr. Roddy has dedicated his career of over 30 years to schools like St. Stephen’s. In addition to his current role as Head of School at Holy Trinity Episcopal School in Houston, Dr. Roddy’s past leadership roles include Head of Middle School, Assistant Principal, and Upper School Dean of Students. Dr. Roddy also has extensive classroom experience as a teacher of physical education, and middle and high school social studies.
Dr. Troy Roddy will begin his tenure as Head of School at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Houston on July 1, 2023.
Read more: ssesh.org/dr-troy-roddy/
St. Stephen’s Students Made Radio Contact with ISS Crew on Monday, October 3, 2022
Radio contact was established between SSESH and the ISS on October 3, 2022, at 1:07 pm. Ten students in Kindergarten through 8th grade asked insightful questions to NASA Astronaut Bob Hines.
Congratulations, Mr. Charlie (KG5QNO), Lab Guru, da Vinci Lab for Creative Arts & Sciences!
Read more: ssesh.org/iss
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School students make contact with space in unique, STEM-based programming: CI Storytelling