Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School opened in August 1993 with grades Pre-School-9 and 185 students. The school's first Upper School graduating class was the Class of 1997, and the school has graduated 23 classes, with more than 350 graduates. The school's liberal arts program prepares students well for college and life, and more than 99% of graduates have matriculated to colleges or universities following graduation. Thomas Jefferson graduates have matriculated to a wide range of colleges and universities including some of the most selective private schools in the country. The school employs 44 full-time teachers, 67% of whom hold advanced degrees in their disciplines. Laura McDonald was named Head of School in June 2018. Thomas Jefferson is accredited by Independent Schools Association of the Central States.
Academics
None.
Athletics
Membership in the Missouri State High School Activities Association enables the school's athletes to participate with other schools in a wide variety of activities. Thomas Jefferson is a member of the Ozark 7 Conference. Other schools participating in the Ozark 7 Conference include: McAuley Catholic High School, Southwest, Wheaton, Verona, Exeter, and Purdy. Students in grades 6-12 are able to compete in: Fall: soccer, tennis, volleyball, cross-country Winter: basketball, cheerleading Spring: golf, tennis, track and field
Student activities
The school is particularly notable for its quiz bowl program and has competed at NAQT Nationals, as well as finishing in the top three at the Class 1 state level since 1997, winning the championship in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. The school offers students the ability to participate in contests for math, writing, foreign languages, music, art, geography, and spelling. The school offers foreign language clubs, a chess club, a film-making club, and several other extracurricular and cocurricular activities. The school has a thriving arts program, and performs middle school, high school, and lower school musicals every year. Past musicals have included Curtains,Anything Goes,The Music Man,Hello, Dolly!, "Bye Bye Birdie", and "Legally Blonde: The Musical." The Middle and Upper School orchestras and vocal ensembles are large, with more than 70 percent of Middle and Upper School students participating. In 2014, the Upper School Vocal Ensemble was selected to be part of a 200-voice choir that would perform Faure's "Requiem" at Carnegie Hall on June 7, 2015. In March 2015, the school began an annual film festival open to area students in grades 6-12, with over 40 films being entered.
