Giving to San Marcos Academy - SMA - Texas Christian School

Since 1907, San Marcos Academy has helped thousands of students reach their personal potential by focusing on our mission “to educate young men and women within a nurturing community based upon Christian values.” The Academy Development Office is committed to supporting the school’s mission by nurturing relationships with alumni, friends, parents, foundations and the local, national and international communities with which we interact. To fulfill our mission, we rely on the generous support of those who believe in San Marcos Academy and who share our desire to offer excellence to all the students we serve.

Information on our four current giving campaigns is posted below, but there are multiple ways to support our school! Please contact us or visit our office to find out how you can invest in the future of San Marcos Academy. Our staff can be reached at 512-753-8007. Gifts by check can be mailed to

San Marcos Academy
Development Office
2801 Ranch Road 12
San Marcos, Texas 78666

Opportunities for Giving

Athletics: Light the Fields

Several improvements have been made to the Academy baseball and softball fields in recent years, making the complex more attractive to students, families and community groups. As a finishing touch, lights are being installed at both fields. Having lighted fields means that home games can be started later in the day, so our student athletes will not need to be dismissed from afternoon classes as often. The addition of lights will also make the baseball/softball complex more appealing to outside groups looking for a venue to rent.

One donor has stepped up to the plate, contributing $25,000 to initiate the project, but a significant balance remains. You can help us Light the Fields in one of the following ways:

$50 – $999 Fan of the Fields Contribution
$1,000 – $4,999 Golden Glove Contribution

Naming Opportunities:
$5,000 Purchase a Pole (Softball Field)
$10,000 Purchase a Pole (Baseball Field)

Scholarships: Brighter Futures

For many Academy students, the importance of financial assistance cannot be overstated. By providing deserving students with the funds they need to attend the Academy, our donors are sharing the gift of a lifetime. It is a gift that opens the doors to academic and spiritual discovery, to deepened knowledge and self-esteem, to greater dreams and the courage to follow them, and to a treasure trove of memories that will last forever. In short, it is the gift of a brighter future.

To invest in the life of an Academy student, donors may give any amount to the Student Financial Assistance Fund. All of these dollars are used to help families afford the cost of an Academy education. Donors may also establish an Endowed Scholarship. These scholarships provide ongoing annual benefits for students while keeping the core endowment principal intact to fund future years of assistance.

$50 + Student Financial Assistance Fund (a gift of any amount is appreciated!)
$25,000 Named Endowed Scholarship (may be funded over a period of two years)

Current Endowed Scholarship list

K-5 Academics: A Place to Grow

This year, for the first time since the early 1980’s, SMA has offered Lower School instruction for students in fourth and fifth grades. Next year, we will expand again to include a full kindergarten and elementary program. In order to do this, we will be renovating Derrick-Wolfe Hall to accommodate our Middle School classrooms, freeing up Davidson Hall for our K-5 Lower School.

To provide our youngest students with a functional, collaborative learning environment, we will be furnishing their classrooms with tables and chairs that can be easily reconfigured as activities dictate. This active space will also require computers and other technology tools to enrich the student experience. Help us give our Lower School boys and girls the room they need to grow, learn and thrive at SMA.

$175 Student desk and chair
$750 Teacher desk and chair
$1,000 Desktop Computer and Software
$6,000 Furnish a Classroom (naming opportunity)

Protecting our Campus: Safety is the "Key"

Ensuring the safety of our students will always be a top priority at San Marcos Academy. In the past two years, we have enhanced our program by hiring a safety officer and front gate attendants, expanding our public address system to reach all areas of campus, installing surveillance cameras in every building, and participating in the county-wide Standard Response Protocol system.

Another aspect of our safety plan is to replace all hard key locks on campus with slide key locks, which are considered by first responders to be safer and easier to manage in an emergency situation. Some of our classroom and dormitory room doors have already been updated with new locks, but many others are yet to be completed. Your gift will help us complete this “key” project on our campus.

$75 Installation costs for one door
$250 Slide lock mechanism for interior door
$2,500 New exterior door with slide lock mechanism
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General Fund Giving

Your gift to San Marcos Academy will support a variety of projects during the school year. Click here to make a gift to our General Fund.

To Honor and Remember

Walking around the beautiful campus of San Marcos Academy, one cannot help but notice the scores of engraved pavers and plaques placed by trees, benches, planter areas, and other structures around campus. These pavers and plaques are the means by which alumni, friends and supporters of the Academy have chosen to honor and to remember their loved ones in a pleasing and permanent way. Following is additional information on these giving options.

Memorial Trees

Alumni Plaza Naming Opportunities

Alumni Pavilion

Memorial Trees

Planting a memorial tree on the Academy campus is a lovely way to celebrate the life of a friend or loved one. The Academy benefits through campus beautification and the remembrance of those who were a vital part of the Academy and the lives of her students. Alumni and friends who return to honor the memory of a loved one often relate heartwarming stories, providing inspiration to those dedicated to the mission of San Marcos Academy.

The cost of donating a tree is $1,000. Checks, payable to SMA should be mailed to San Marcos Academy, marked Attention Alumni Relations, to 2801 Ranch Road Twelve, San Marcos, Texas 78666. You can also use our payment portal for your payment.

Those who donate memorial tree are asked for guidance in wording the plaque. Madeline De Long, director of alumni relations, is available to consult with you as needed. Turn-around time for the manufacture of the plaque is approximately 2–3 months. You may mail, fax or email the plaque inscription for your memorial tree to Madeline De Long. Receipt of the plaque is crucial to the timing of the dedication date. New locations are determined based upon the amount of water available to the area. The bur oak is our tree of preference; bur oaks are native to the area and tend to thrive in our climate. We can discuss the location of your tree when you are ready to place your order.

After the tree and plaque are ordered, a dedication date can be determined. The dedication is an important event for family and friends. Mrs. De Long will be happy to discuss the dedication setting, whether it is an intimate setting or a more public dedication to include Academy students and faculty. We will also request biographical information on the person being honored for the dedicatory program. You may wish to remember your loved one with a song, poem or prayer; we will rely on your guidance in planning the dedication ceremony.

Current List of Memorial Trees and Map of Campus Trees

Alumni Plaza Naming Opportunities

Our Alumni Plaza was dedicated in the fall of 2007 to commemorate the centennial of the founding of San Marcos Academy. The central feature of the plaza is the beautiful white fountain, which was first installed on the Academy’s original campus as a gift from the Class of 1922. Situated around the fountain are planter areas and benches as well as four light posts; these light posts are also artifacts from our original campus. Additionally displayed in the plaza are the original 1907 cornerstone from Carroll Hall and the Founder’s Stone that was erected on the original campus in 1931 to honor our first president, Dr. J. H. Carroll.

The fountain, planter areas, light posts, and benches have been sponsored by generous donors as naming opportunities. Two planter areas and one bench still remain as naming opportunities. The planter areas can be purchased for a gift of $5,000 and the bench can be purchased for $5,000. Please contact our development office for more information on these items.

Also surrounding the fountain in the plaza are a number of brick pavers honoring our alumni. Regular-sized pavers may be purchased for $100 to honor or memorialize any former student of San Marcos Academy. Proceeds from this ongoing project fund the Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship. To order a paver, please download the form and send in with your payment of $100 to

Development Office (512-753-8007)
San Marcos Academy
2801 Ranch Road 12
San Marcos, Texas 78666

A few larger-sized pavers are also available for sponsorship for a cost of $250. Please download the form and send it in with your payment of $250 to the address above or call the Development Office for more information.

Alumni Pavilion

The Alumni Pavilion is phase two of the Alumni Association’s effort to recognize those who influenced SMA Students and will be the high visibility centerpiece for Athletic Staff recognition by Alumni. This permanent structure replaces the Alumni tent rented each Homecoming and will be similar to other metal topped covers on campus. It will feature slanted half walls to affix permanent recognition plaques, electricity, lights, ceiling fans and loudspeakers to ensure that the stadium bleacher extensions and new terraced seating can hear the announcer. The estimated cost of this project is $33,000 of which nearly 2/3 has been committed. If you had a Coach who changed your life, please consider contributing!

Checks, payable to SMA should be mailed to San Marcos Academy, marked Attention Alumni Relations, to 2801 Ranch Road Twelve, San Marcos, Texas 78666. You can also use our payment portal for your payment.