The Laurel
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A Wholesome and Nurturing Environment
at Our Private K-12 Texas College Preparatory School

We at San Marcos Academy thank you for considering us for your child’s education.

As a leading private Christian school located in San Marcos (Hays County, TX), SMA is dedicated to providing quality learning opportunities for young men and women by offering a nurturing environment and wholesome atmosphere to help ensure they can reach their full potential. San Marcos Academy is proud of its high standards for academic excellence and the success our students achieve while at the Academy and after graduation. The staff and faculty of San Marcos Academy will help to develop the growth of mind, body and spirit in your sons and daughters so they can focus on their educational pursuits and personal development.

San Marcos Academy is proud to have been selected as one of the 30 Best Christian Boarding Schools in America. We also are one of only a handful of private day & boarding schools in Texas that have maintained continuous accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (AdvancEd) for more than a century.

Get to Know Us!

Please take a few minutes to watch the video above to get to know SMA.

San Marcos Academy school is a private Christian school founded in 1907 and is recognized by the Texas Association of Boarding Schools. As an accredited private college preparatory school, we strive to provide opportunities for excellence in academics while creating a fun environment filled with a variety of athletics and fine arts programs. We also offer a Christian Ministries program to provide biblical study opportunities to produce leaders whose lives are built on faith and integrity while developing a strong moral compass based on classical Christian values. Please take a few minutes to watch the video above to learn more about why our Texas Christian education school is the right choice.

From pre-kindergarten to elementary school (lower school), middle school, and high school (upper school), the goal at our college prep school in Texas is to ensure our students are ready for college and life after university by providing courses and curriculum designed to contribute to the enrichment of their knowledge and character. We achieve this by providing and building upon a solid foundation designed to help students succeed.

Meet the Admissions Team

Headshot of Corey Boyer

Corey Boyer

Director of Recruitment & International Student Relations

Corey has served at San Marcos Academy for the last 16 years, occupying various roles during his time here.

Prior to his current work as the Director of Recruitment & International Student Relations he has served as the Dean of Residential Life overseeing the residential life program as well as the international boarding program. Corey is also the father of two San Marcos Academy graduates.

Headshot of Mattie Howard

Mattie Howard

Director of Admissions DSO

Mattie has served many years in the Office of Admissions at San Marcos Academy beginning in 1996.

After some time away to start her family, she returned to SMA in 2014. Mattie currently serves as the Director of Admissions. And strongly believes in the amazing education and experience that San Marcos Academy provides. Her husband, brother and her oldest son are all graduates of SMA, and two younger sons are current students. She loves to meet new families and help students find their place at San Marcos Academy.

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Tina Brown

Executive Assistant for Admissions and Chief Academic Officer

Tina loves sharing with potential new families all that SMA has to offer!

Prior to working at SMA, Tina was a school librarian for 17 years and a former 1st grade teacher for 7 years.

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Tiffany Portis

Admissions Officer

Tiffany began serving current and incoming families in the admissions office in 2020, but has been a part of the SMA family since 2016 in multiple capacities.

During her visits with families, Tiffany enjoys sharing her own SMA experiences as a volunteer, wife of a Dorm Director, and mom to five SMA students of her own. Seeing all sides and aspects of SMA has allowed her to connect with families and appreciate their perspective. Tiffany is looking forward to visiting with you and learning about your child, and sharing what San Marcos Academy has to offer to you all.

Request Admissions Information

Openings & Deadlines

A teacher helping a student at the SMA college prep school in Texas.

Admissions Procedures and Checklist 

Thank you for your interest in San Marcos Academy. We welcome your application for admission to our school. A completed admissions file consists of the following items: 

  1. Online Inquiry: Start by creating an account in our Blackbaud Enrollment Management System (BB-EMS).  
  2. Upload all supporting documents onto the appropriate checklist item. 
  3. Complete online application and pay $150 application fee through your BB-EMS. 
  4. Contact us to schedule your parent/student visit and interview. Prospective student Cub Preview (for Kindergarten applicants only).
  1. Additional information and/or testing should be submitted if requested by the admissions staff. 
  2. The Admissions file will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and parents will be notified of their decision. 
Application (BB-EMS)
The fountain on the SMA Texas college preparatory school & private Christian school campus.

Application Deadlines 

Applications are accepted year round for all students, but those submitted by February 1 will receive priority consideration. International Students priority consideration begins December 1. When all spaces in any grade level are filled, additional qualified candidates are placed into the waitpool for consideration should openings occur. 

The Admissions Committee will meet to consider the applicant once they have a completed admissions file. Parents will be notified of their decision with an email containing the information and instructions for completing the enrollment process. 

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Final Steps

If a PreK-12 student is accepted, the enrollment responsible parent will receive an email with the enrollment packet and process. They will have two weeks to complete the enrollment packet and pay the tuition deposit in order to save their child’s spot in the class.

Boarding students pay a non-refundable deposit of $1000.00 while all Day Students, pay a non-refundable deposit of $250.00. New International Students must pay a deposit of $7,000 in order for the Academy to issue an I-20 ($500 is non-refundable should the student fail to acquire a visa). All deposits are applied to the total program cost for attendance.

Learn more about our private boarding and day school in Texas

We encourage parents to browse the rest of our website to learn more about San Marcos Academy.

Using the links below, you can learn more about what sets our college preparatory private Christian school apart from other coed prep schools in Texas and across the nation.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to hearing from you! Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Get to Know Us

Academics

2023–24 Annual Calendar

International Applicants

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Boarding

Re-Enrollment

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Re-Enrollment Process

During the spring semester of each school year, San Marcos Academy extends an invitation to eligible students in grades PreK-11 to re-enroll for private education for the next school year.

Re-enrollment invitations* will be extended during the month of January. 

The process for re-enrollment includes completing enrollment forms and the tuition deposit. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions Office at 512-753-8000 or email us at admissions@smabears.org

*Re-enrollment invitations will be sent out electronically, via email, through FACTS. The process will be completed through your Family Portal account.