About Saint Andrew School

Saint Andrew School is a center for discipleship that provides academic excellence and a social consciousness within a disciplined, caring, and safe environment.  Saint Andrew is a Catholic parochial school, whose faculty and staff members work as co-partners with families and the parishes of Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Francis Xavier and the Newman Center, striving to empower students to become more conscious and active in their faith.  It is our belief that focusing on these areas will promote the foundation of our students as Christians and high-achieving citizens which allows them to take their place as active, responsible members of our world.

Our Mission

Established in 1872, Saint Andrew School is committed to serving students (pre-k through eighth grade) and families from a variety of spiritual traditions across the southwestern Illinois region by providing educational excellence and faith exploration rooted in the Roman Catholic intellectual tradition. Embracing diversity and truth, Saint Andrew School prepares graduates to flourish and serve our world with a distinctive combination of stewardship, wisdom, spiritual inquiry and creative fortitude as they meet the challenges of the future.

Our Philosophy

While parents are the primary educators, the school shares with the parents the responsibility of developing a faith in God which is viable and meaningful in each child. We believe it is important for each child to reach his or her fullest potential by developing every facet of life: spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional. We strive to enable each child to grow in faith, develop a personal relationship with God, and celebrate his/her ability to serve one another, as Jesus would. By instilling Christian values, attitudes, and actions and by expecting academic excellence from all children, we develop the future stewards of our Catholic Faith.

Saint Andrew the Apostle

Saint Andrew was a Galilean fisherman before becoming a follower of Jesus Christ.  His brother was Simon Peter.  He went through life leading people to Jesus before the crucifixion and after.  He carried the Gospel message to Greece and Asia Minor.    Andrew was the first Bishop of Patras, Greece. There, he was crucified by the Romans on an X-shaped cross. Symbols for Saint Andrew are the X-shaped cross, fish and fishing nets.  His feast day is celebrated on November 30th.  

Catholic Identity

Saint Andrew School is a center for discipleship. We are grounded in the belief that spiritual development is essential to personal growth. We integrate Christ into the moral development of our students lives each and every day. We focus on proclaiming the Good News of the risen Lord through teaching the Catholic Doctrine where our students have the opportunity to discuss and reflect, building a community of faith where students can share their beliefs and traditions, and by instilling the value of service that they can provide to each other and the community.

Our History

In 1872, Father Jungmann, shortly after he became the pastor of Saint Andrew Church, dreamed of having a school, "whose scholars would build churches."  Father Jungmann organized the first school in a room in his own house.  The room was 15 feet by 18 feet, a sloping ceiling, a big fireplace and one window. He employed a lay teacher, Katherine Horn, and paid her most of the time from his own pocket. It was reported that 70 children were attending the school in 1873.  A new school was built in 1875.  It was a square box with windows on all four sides. Since then a new school has been built, enrollment continues to grow, our faith in God deepens with each passing moment and we are now renovating and adding on to the existing school.  

Vision for the Future

We serve students and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds, faith traditions and socioeconomic experiences, offering a transformational combination of educational excellence, faith and stewardship.  In order to continue investing in the future of our students and the communities they serve and contribute to, it is necessary to invest in the school's infrastructure. Over the next three years, we will be improving our school for our community and families.  Our goals are to unite all of the school children in one building, Eliminate the outdated temporary modular classrooms, renovate the existing 47+ year-old school building, modernize the overall school infrastructure, and create a new multi-purpose Activity Center.