The Sisters of the Order of St. Anne established St. Anne’s Episcopal School in 1950, creating a school rooted in their belief of compassion for others and a commitment to education.  Their legacy continues today. 

In 1929, three Episcopalian nuns stepped off a train at Denver’s Union Station with the purpose of helping the city’s poor and sick.  After working a couple of years in a parish at 20th and Glenarm, the Sisters were asked to take over the convalescent home run by the Junior League of Denver.  Located at 2701 S. York, the home was an old, converted farmhouse with ramps, patient rooms, and therapy rooms for sick children.  The patients suffered from various ailments that required nursing but not a hospital stay.  During the 1940s, polio brought many children to St. Anne’s. The Sisters treated the patients with warm compresses to help relax their painful contracting muscles, and they employed massage for rehabilitation.   

By 1950, as a result of the polio vaccine, few children remained at St. Anne’s for full-time care. Mother Noel instructed Sister Irene to start a school. Their original teaching mission centered on providing individual attention and small classes.  Two kindergarten students enrolled in the first class. With the help of retired teachers and the Sisters, who worked without pay, the school grew to approximately 80 students by 1965.

The Sisters were ever present on campus.  They oversaw meals, tended the gardens, and taught classes.  Their emphasis on care and compassion for others shaped the school’s values.  One influential sister, Mother Irene, dedicated her life to the education of children and the future of St. Anne’s Episcopal School.  She is fondly remembered for her championship roses, quick wit and love of children.  Her leadership and vision established a school with a special feeling of community, compassion and physical beauty.

In addition to the York Street campus, St. Anne’s also uses St. Anne’s in the Hills, a 17-acre campus located in Indian Hills, for outdoor education programs.

Today, St. Anne’s continues to provide small classes, individualized attention, and a nurturing environment in which children can thrive and learn.  An emphasis on values and the examples set by the Sisters of St. Anne continue to drive the school’s mission.

At St. Anne’s, the community of parents, faculty, staff, and students believe that education is collaborative and everyone has a part in a student’s upbringing.  They are a community that is inclusive and mission-centered. Character and integrity are paramount.  Moral, ethical, and spiritual foundational values inspire their students to make lasting and significant contributions to society. Service learning is an integral part of the curriculum; and parents, faculty and staff alike are encouraged to participate in this fundamental part of the St. Anne’s mission. 

At St. Anne’s, students make strong connections with their teachers and peers. With a caring community of support during these formative years, St. Anne’s helps students grow into role models and leaders. The school’s preschool through eighth-grade design provides a consistent and nurturing experience from early childhood through the first stages of adolescence. Grounded in the values and traditions of the Founding Sisters and empowered by their sense of belonging, St. Anne’s graduates know themselves, care for others, and strive to serve and improve their communities. 

There is no place quite like St. Anne’s. Hidden just outside of the Denver metro area, St. Anne’s is a 7-acre campus that inspires students on a daily basis. When the weather is right, witness students learning in their one-of-a-kind outside classroom, or developing their drawing skills in the midst of their colorful gardens. 

The classrooms are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology. Smart boards, access to iPads and computers, and rooms that are bright with natural light provide ample spaces for learning.  Newly built lower school and performing arts buildings incorporate shared spaces where students can learn and work collaboratively.

At St. Anne’s in the Hills (SAITH), they further their mission of educating minds, enriching hearts and expanding horizons for students in Kindergarten through Grade 8. The 16.5-acre parcel of land in the foothills just west of Denver was originally deeded to the Founding Sisters by the Ascension Church of Denver in 1931. Early in the school’s history, the Sisters and their convalescing patients would use the property as a summer camp and as space for reflection.

Today, the fully enclosed property features a low ropes course, outdoor learning space, fire pit, volleyball court, and newly-renovated facility with an industrial kitchen, great room with fireplace, and four comfortable bunk rooms. Situated only 30 minutes from our Denver campus and close to Mt. Falcon State Park, SAITH is readily accessible for both day excursions and overnight trips. The property is also within easy reach of Front Range activities such as rock climbing, hiking, rafting, snowshoeing and kayaking.

By visiting the same place repeatedly throughout their St. Anne’s experience, students have a unique opportunity to create an attachment to a specific outdoor space and to experience the rhythm of nature. The natural world offers recurring patterns and cycles but never does anything exactly the same way twice, so every time the children return to SAITH, they find a place that is both reassuringly familiar and intriguingly new.

St. Anne’s has a rich history of caring for children. The well-being of each child has always been their focus. Students are provided with a balanced program that includes high-quality academics, athletics, arts, and service. While emphasizing inclusiveness, the school builds character and integrity upon a spiritual, moral, and ethical foundation. St. Anne’s strives to develop people who go on to make lasting and significant contributions to society.

Parents are encouraged to participate in the education of their children, both at home and at school.  Parents and students value the strong sense of community that characterizes this school.

The school’s unique preschool through eighth grade design provides a consistent and nurturing experience from early childhood through the first stages of adolescence. Our intimate environment ensures that students make strong connections with teachers and peers. With a caring community to support them during their formative years, St. Anne’s students grow into role models and leaders.