List of 15 frequently asked questions.

• Q: Is St. Edmund’s Academy a religiously-affiliated school?

  No. Despite its name, St. Edmund’s Academy is a nonsectarian, independent, private school. The school was named as such in 1952 when Pauline Seeley Mudge donated the land on which the school currently sits in memory of her late husband Edmund W. Mudge, Pittsburgh industrialist and civic leader. The story of St. Edmund, the boy kind of East Anglia in the 10th century, serves as a reminder to students of the importance of honor, bravery, courage, and loyalty.
  
  Originally founded in the Episcopalian faith, school founders desired a school that was both academically challenging but that also instilled a strong moral character in its students. At its origination, the school accomplished this through a variety of methods including public recognition of positive behaviors and character traits and a weekly chapel service. While this practice has evolved to better reflect the diverse community of families that attend St. Edmund’s Academy, the strong emphasis on character development remains and our Core Values unite our remarkably diverse community.

• Q: What districts provide transportation to St. Edmund’s Academy?

  The Pittsburgh Public School District buses St. Edmund’s students to and from school. PPS will provide transportation to students (Kindergarten – 8th grade) who live in the district and live more than 1.5 miles from St. Edmund’s Academy. Additionally, twenty other school districts provide transportation for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade, including:
  
  • Allegheny Valley
  • Baldwin-Whitehall
  • Carlynton
  • Chartiers Valley
  • East Allegheny
  • Fox Chapel
  • Gateway
  • Hampton
  • Keystone Oaks
  • McKeesport
  • Montour
  • North Hills
  • Penn Hills
  • Pittsburgh Public Schools (if student lives over 1.5 miles from school)
  • Plum
  • Riverview
  • Shaler
  • Sto-Rox
  • West Jefferson Hills
  • West Mifflin
  • Woodland Hills

• Q: How many students attend St. Edmund’s?

  From Preschool through 8th grade, there are 281 students in attendance.

• Q: What is your average class size?

  With total enrollment at 298, classes have an average size of 14 students.

• Q: Why does St. Edmund’s end at 8th grade instead of 12th?

  St. Edmund’s Academy is intentionally designed to be a Preschool – 8th Grade school, focusing on the critical developmental years of its students. Without a high school, we are able to conserve our time and resources to benefit each child in each grade. Our students are connected – it is just as common to see 3rd and 4th graders collaborating on a project as it is to see a Kindergartner and an 8th grader playing together on the field. Our students have authentic leadership opportunities as they move through the grades, culminating with their 8th grade year where they serve as the true leaders and role models for other students in the school.

• Q: Where do your graduates attend high school?

  St. Edmund’s graduates attend many of the local independent, public, and parochial schools as well as boarding schools in other cities. Throughout their 7th and 8th grade years, students and families meet with advisors to discuss their desired options for secondary schools. Students visit a variety of schools and are counseled through their selection process, which will ultimately help prepare them for the college selection process.
  
  The Class of 2018 is attending the following high schools:
  

  • Central Catholic
  • The Ellis School
  • The Kiski School
  • Oakland Catholic
  • Pittsburgh Allderdice (CAS)
  • Shady Side Academy
  • St. Paul's School
  • The Pennington School
  • Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School
  • Western Reserve Academy
  • Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School
  • Winchester Thurston School
  • Woodland Hills High School

• Q: Where do your graduates ultimately attend college?

  While we resist a narrow definition of “success” with our alumni that is restricted solely to acceptance at prestigious post-secondary institutions, we are certainly very proud of St. Edmund’s Academy graduates of the Class of 2014 who will enter their freshman year at the following colleges and universities this year:
  
  

  • American University
  • Bard College
  • Brown University
  • Chatham University
  • College of Charleston
  • College of Wooster
  • Denison University
  • Dickinson College
  • Duquesne University
  • Elon University
  • George Washington University
  • Gettysburg College
  • New York University
  • Northeastern University
  • Oberlin College
  • Skidmore College
  • US Military Academy West Point
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of South Carolina
  • University of Toronto
  • Washington & Jefferson University
  • Washington University in St. Louis

• Q: What is the best time to apply?

  The ideal time to apply is the fall before your child would enroll. For the 2020-2021 school year, applications to the Early Childhood Division (Preschool, PreK, and Kindergarten) are due by January 15, 2020. Applications to Grades 1 - 8 are due by February 15, 2020.  Admission to the school outside of the traditional admissions season occurs on a rolling basis, if space permits in a particular grade level.

• Q: Do you provide financial aid or scholarships to new students?

  Yes. Socioeconomic range in our school community is important to our commitment to a diverse population and we are happy to provide over 40% of our families with financial aid. Aid is awarded on the basis of need as determined by the School & Student Services Financial Aid Application.

• Q: Why should we pay for an independent school instead of sending our child to public school?

  Families in the independent school system are often drawn to our collective reputation for academic excellence and high expectations of students. We recruit the best teachers from around the country to work with our students, and we provide them with resources, professional development, and class sizes so that they can be creative and facilitate optimal learning environments for student engagement and discovery without restrictions imposed from outside sources.
  
  Families are drawn specifically to St. Edmund’s Academy because of our reputation for educating children in a way that develops their character along with their minds and that nurtures social and emotional intelligences in addition to analytical, creative, and collaborative skills. Additionally, we are a remarkably diverse community that stands united by our Core Values and a firm belief that our shared responsibility with families is to nurture students to be kind and more perceptive in the midst of their academic pursuits.

• Q: Do you provide discounts for families with multiple children?

  While we do not offer discounts to families with multiple children, the School & Student Services application accounts for families with multiple children, among other extenuating factors that could impact a family’s ability to pay full tuition costs.

• Q: Would it be hard for my child in middle school to transfer to St. Edmund's?

  It's not uncommon for students to transfer to the Upper School (Grades 5 - 8) at St. Edmund's Academy.  Families often make this change to make sure their children are as prepared as possible for the academic expecations of high school.  Other families transfer for social reasons into a middle school environment where students are notoriously kind and where faculty nurture students' independence, leadership skills, and character.  When space permits, we happily consider for admissions students who would benefit from this type of environment and whose academic preparation situates them to thrive, with guidance, in our classes.  

• Q: How can parents become involved?

  Parents are invited to help in the classroom and at events during various times in the year. The PTA welcomes parent volunteers at all levels of commitment – regardless of your schedule, there are ways to become involved at St. Edmund’s. The library is a great place to volunteer as well, and allows family members to see students engaged with their peers. We also eagerly welcome involvement from other families, including grandparents, aunts/uncles, older siblings, and other persons of significance in the lives of our students.

• Q: In what areas of Pittsburgh do St. Edmund’s families live?

  Families who attend St. Edmund’s Academy live in many of the surrounding Pittsburgh communities including Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Highland Park, Point Breeze, and others.

• Q: Do you provide before/after school care and programming?

  Yes. The school day goes from 8:00 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.. Students are able to enter the building as early as 7:15 a.m. and may wait in the auditorium with teachers and peers. A breakfast program is also available in the cafeteria before the school day begins.
  
  Our After School Program runs from 3:25 until 6:00 p.m. for students in Preschool through 6th grade and is comprised of two parts: Extended Day and SEA Explorers. In Extended Day, children can participate in crafts, games, sports, and outdoor play. For students with homework, a separate room is designated as a quiet space for study hall. Families can sign their children up for special enrichment classes in addition to Extended Day through SEA Explorers. Programs cater to a wide range of interests from yoga to cooking to robotics. All children in the After School Program are provided an after school snack.