St. Mark's School of Texas
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
St. Mark's School of Texas St. Mark's School has its foundation in three 20th-century preparatory schools, each of which contributed to its high standards and national reputation for academic excellence. Founded in 1906 by educators Menter and Ada Terrill, the Terrill School opened in a Swiss Avenue home with 42 students. The Terrills were strict disciplinarians and demanded high levels of scholastic competence. The school attracted the sons of many of Dallas' prominent families. By the late 1920s, athletics had begun to replace academics as the primary focus, and in response, several Dallas families Began the Texas Country Day School for Boys to provide a strong academic preparatory education for their sons. When it opened with ten students and four faculty members in September 1933, Texas Country Day School was located two miles north of the Dallas city limits. With the post-World War II economic boom, this area became an affluent suburban neighborhood, and many of its youth attended Texas Country Day School. Meanwhile, the Cathedral School for Boys opened under the auspices of the Episcopal diocese of Dallas after the Terrill School closed in 1946. In 1949, negotiations to merge the Cathedral School and Texas Country Day School resulted in the formation of St. Mark's School of Texas, which held its first classes in September 1950 on the former Texas Country Day School campus. In the last half of the 20th century, St. Mark's School solidified its place in Texas' educational history as a significant college preparatory institution through expanded facilities and exemplary faculty, which led to increased enrollment and solid financial support. (2002) Incising on base: PETER FLAGG MAXSON '65 JOHN DeGOLYER MAXSON '58
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
St. Mark's School of Texas grew from three earlier Dallas preparatory schools. The Terrill School, founded in 1906 by educators Menter and Ada Terrill, drew the sons of prominent families with its strict, academically demanding program; when athletics began to eclipse scholarship, families launched the Texas Country Day School for Boys in 1933. After the Terrill School closed, the Episcopal Cathedral School for Boys and Texas Country Day merged in 1949–1950 to form St. Mark's, which built a national reputation for academic excellence over the following half-century.
Why it matters
It reflects the rise of elite college-preparatory education and its role in shaping the leadership of a booming 20th-century Dallas.
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Related people
- · Menter Terrill
- · Ada Terrill
Themes & tags
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