St. Agnes Academy

Location · Sharpstown, southwest Houston

Sources: St. Agnes Academy, 2026-2027 Admissions Profile; Tuition & Fees; Financial Aid; Our Mission & History; Merriman Holt Powell Architects; Houston Edu Funding (third party, reporting the state TEFA finder on Oct. 9, 2026). Accessed November 8, 2026.

St. Agnes describes its mission in one sentence: rooted in the Catholic, Dominican tradition, the school challenges young women through exceptional academic preparation and transformational experiences to lead with integrity, joy and a commitment to social justice. Its portrait of a graduate adds intellectual curiosity, personal leadership, a daily life of prayer and a commitment to the marginalized, and the school states plainly that it believes a single gender setting builds self respect and self confidence. Life on campus is organized around the four Dominican pillars of Prayer, Study, Community and Preaching, and the word you will see everywhere, from the yearbook to the senior ring, is Veritas. Read the full mission.

What to know first. St. Agnes is a four year high school, so 9th grade is the door. Recent classes have run from 230 to 251 girls, and the school does not publish its number of applicants or its admit rate. The admissions committee reviews each applicant holistically, and the school says that "a consistent pattern of above average grades and test scores is typical" of its entering classes. Transfers are possible into 10th and 11th grade when seats open, and St. Agnes does not accept senior transfers. There is no interview or parent meeting in the published process; your daughter's own voice comes through her application essay and, if she chooses, a Veritas Visit.

Key dates, 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry). The fall Open House took place October 25, 2026. An Open Visit Day for 8th graders whose school does not tour as a class is Monday, November 9, 2026, and campus tours run most Tuesdays and Thursdays in the fall from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. St. Agnes hosts the ISEE on campus on Saturday, November 14, 2026 (school code 443420). The application is due December 15, 2026. Teacher recommendations and report cards are due January 15, 2027, which is also the financial aid deadline (Blackbaud, school code 14060, $35 fee). ISEE scores must be in by February 1, 2027, and admission decisions are released March 5, 2027. Veritas Visits, where an applicant spends a morning with a Tiger Ambassador, attends two classes and stays for lunch, run from mid January through March 4; registration opens in mid November and spots fill quickly.

How to prepare. Because St. Agnes reads grades from 6th grade forward, the whole middle school record counts, and a steady 7th grade matters as much as a strong fall of 8th. Plan the ISEE as two chances: the November 14 sitting on campus works well as the first test, which leaves room for a second sitting in December or January before the February 1 deadline. Give the essay real time, since it is the main place the committee hears from your daughter, and ask English and math teachers who know her work habits, because work habits are a named criterion. Register for a Veritas Visit as soon as registration opens, and if you may need aid, apply by January 15, before you know the admission decision, since aid funds are limited and only need based.

Sources: St. Agnes Academy, How to Apply as a 9th Grader; How to Apply as a 10th or 11th Grader; Visit Us; Eighth Grade Tours; Financial Aid; Tuition & Fees; 2026-2027 Admissions Profile. Accessed November 8, 2026.

St. Agnes offers 13 Honors and 28 AP courses, and entry to them is competitive: students qualify through their grades and faculty recommendations. Two rules shape the academic experience. A student may take at most four Honors or AP courses in a year, and every student enrolled in an AP course must sit for the AP exam. The AP menu runs from Biology, Chemistry and Physics C to AP Seminar and AP Research, Comparative Government, Microeconomics, Art History and AP Business with Personal Finance. The brother school next door widens the menu further: St. Agnes girls cross enroll at Strake Jesuit for courses such as Multivariable Calculus, AP Chinese, AP Music Theory, AP Psychology, AP Computer Science Applications and French 4 and 5. Ninth graders take a one semester Freshman Seminar on study habits, time management and the move to high school, and every student carries a school specified tablet PC.

Graduation. 26 credits, with a minimum of six credits each year: four each of English, mathematics, natural science and theology, three and a half of history and social science, two of world language, one of fine arts, a communications elective, physical education and health, and a half credit for the Servant Leader Apprenticeship of 100 or more service hours. Physics is required in the junior or senior year. Wellness counselors advise 9th and 10th graders on course choices, and college counselors take over in 11th and 12th. The school's grading scale and class rank policy are not published on its website.

Sources: St. Agnes Academy, 2026-2027 Admissions Profile; Curriculum; College Counseling; Student Support; Tablet Program; General Academic, "Houston's National Merit Semifinalists for 2026-2027," Sept. 18, 2026 (secondary, reproducing the NMSC list). Accessed November 8, 2026.

Community and faith. St. Agnes calls itself a sisterhood, and the structure backs that up. Every class makes a retreat each year: two days at Camp for All in Burton for freshmen, a service centered retreat for sophomores, three days at Forest Glen in Huntsville for juniors and a final three day retreat for seniors, each built around one of the Dominican pillars. Students pray before class, gather for Mass, observe Dominican feast days and can pray the Rosary at lunch, and the school notes that its students come from many faith traditions; 35% are not Catholic. Beginning in the spring of junior year, each girl completes the Servant Leader Apprenticeship, 100 hours of direct service with one organization serving the poor and vulnerable, tied to junior theology and Catholic social teaching. The club list counts 49 open membership clubs plus four application based honor societies and groups, including affinity clubs overseen by a Director of Community Culture, Model UN and Junior State of America. Strake Jesuit next door is a daily presence: shared classes, a shared Mixed Chorus and theater, and Spectrum 3847, the joint FIRST Robotics team that made its 12th consecutive FIRST Championship appearance in 2026.

Athletics. St. Agnes competes in TAPPS and reports 120 state titles. It fields 12 sports (cross country, field hockey, volleyball and water polo in the fall; basketball, soccer and swimming in the winter; golf, lacrosse, softball, tennis and track and field in the spring) on 36 teams, and more than 500 of its 966 students play on at least one. In season, teams practice or compete up to six days a week, usually for 90 minutes to two hours, with off season workouts expected. The school's Tigers at the Next Level list shows nine members of the Class of 2026 going on to play in college, at programs including Harvard, Rice, TCU, Vassar and Trinity.

Arts. Every girl earns one fine arts credit. The Mixed Chorus, founded in 1988, brings together more than 100 singers from St. Agnes and Strake Jesuit, rehearses every school day at 7:05 a.m., and travels on a spring choir tour; the school reports that it consistently has more students qualify for All-State Choir than any other private high school in Texas. Auditioned groups include the Triple Trio and the Performance Workshop show choir, and the December tradition is Christmas by Candlelight (December 11 to 13, 2026, in Meyer Hall). Theater this year includes 12 Angry Jurors in the Buckley Black Box Theatre in November and the musical Once Upon a Mattress in February 2027. The Tiger Girls dance team earned UDA Nationals awards in 2024 and 2026, and studio art covers drawing, painting, graphic design, photography and video, alongside band and orchestra. Arts participation rates are not published.

Facilities and the school day. The 1960s front building has been fully renovated, with a new lobby for visiting families, an updated library with collaboration space and an enlarged testing center, according to its architects. The school released a new Strategic Plan 2026+ in September 2026. Classes run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. on an eight period rotating schedule, with a 50 minute Community Time each morning from 9:10 to 10:00; choir and dance practice begin as early as 6:15 to 7:05 a.m., and after school activities start at 3:20.

Sources: St. Agnes Academy, Retreats; Servant Leadership; Student Clubs and Organizations; Community Culture; News (Sept. 30, 2026); Tiger Athletics; Tiger History; Music; Theatre; Dance; Fine Art; Strategic Plan; Bell Schedules; Merriman Holt Powell Architects. Accessed November 8, 2026.