The Saint David's Experience
Where Growing Up Means Growing Together.
At Saint David’s, student life is the fabric that holds everything together. It’s in every handshake, every shared table, every moment of Chapel talks and play. From their earliest days, boys come to understand that growing up here means growing in relation to others. They learn to lead and to follow, to speak with purpose and to listen with care. And, in ways both intentional and unspoken, they begin to practice the habits of good men.
75 COMMUNITY EVENTS PER YEAR
53 CLUBS & AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
8 COLLABORATIONS WITH GIRLS’ SCHOOLS
LEADERSHIP
Leadership at Saint David’s begins early, takes many forms, and deepens over time. Boys lead in ways both visible and subtle: planning school-wide service projects, serving on Student Council (beginning in fourth grade), or simply showing a younger boy how to carry himself with confidence and care.
It’s also present in the daily rhythms of school life. On the field, boys learn to “coach up” their teammates. In the performing arts, older boys lead by example in the Chamber Singers, Philharmonic and Percussion Ensembles—guiding not just by talent, but by tone, effort, and generosity of spirit. Starting in Grade Two, boys take on lead roles in the school’s theater productions, learning what it means to command attention, and how to share it.
MENTORSHIP
One of the quiet strengths of a Saint David’s education is how naturally older boys take younger ones under their wing. Beginning in Grade Three, younger boys are paired with the grade above them—for shared lunches, Chapel talks, and athletics. These pairings help boys feel known across grades and feel seen for who they’re becoming.
The bond between Grades Two and Seven runs deep. Paired together as yearlong buddies, they share classroom visits, meals, trivia challenges, and moments of mutual mentorship.
MANNERS & ETIQUETTE
Courtesy is more than a lesson at Saint David’s. It’s a habit practiced from the moment a boy walks through the door each morning and shakes the Headmaster’s hand.
Throughout the day, boys greet teachers with eye contact and a firm handshake, hold doors open for one another, and learn how to welcome a guest not just with poise, but with genuine warmth. By design and by culture, Saint David’s helps boys grow into the kind of young men who notice what’s needed, and act with kindness, care, and consideration.
FAMILY STYLE DINING
Every two weeks at Saint David’s, boys are assigned new lunch tables that mix boys and members of the faculty and staff. Meals are served family-style, with boys passing platters, clearing for one another, and engaging in shared conversation.
These gatherings offer boys a chance to get to know one another—and the adults who teach and guide them—in a relaxed and meaningful way. Over time, these lunches help build comfort, confidence, and community. They also offer daily practice in the kinds of table manners and social graces that never go out of style.
DAILY COMMONS
Each day, Upper School boys step out of their regular schedule for thirty minutes of Commons—a tech-free period designed for self-direction, reflection, and connection.
Some use the time to meet with teachers, ask questions, or delve deeper into a subject. Others head to the library or gather in homerooms to play chess, cards, or board games. In 2024–2025, the Student Council teamed up with the Athletics Department to add ping pong into the mix—another way to build camaraderie.
With support from their teachers, especially in Grades Four and Five, boys learn how to use this time with purpose. They come to understand when they need help, when they need a break, and how to advocate for themselves—an essential step toward growing into capable, confident young men.
LEARNING SERVICES
Our Learning Services Team establishes trusting, caring, and transparent partnerships with boys' families. These specialists provide research-based learning strategies that create a positive learning environment for all students. From our Boost program, which gives young learners an extra boost in developing reading skills, to Student Support and Language Enrichment in the upper grades, boys' learning is optimized with differentiated instruction specifically targeted to learning goals.
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
Saint David’s boys are not just encouraged to express their ideas—they also have an opportunity to publish them.
Obelisk is the school’s annual journal of literature and the arts, featuring prize-winning essays, original fiction and nonfiction, poetry, mathematical investigations, and artwork by boys in Grades Four through Eight. It’s a celebration of voice, imagination, and craftsmanship across disciplines.
Canticle, our student newspaper with supporting podcasts, is written, edited, and published three times a year. This publication offers an ongoing glimpse into the thoughts and perspectives of our boys—and a window into the world as they see it.