As of the 2025-2026 academic year, the St. George’s Memphis Campus will be closing. This comes as a shock to the community, and many details are still unclear. Here is what to know:

The Memphis Campus will be absorbed into the University School system run by the University of Memphis, per an email sent out on Wednesday night by Mr. Ben Mrva, Chair of the Board of Directors.

Students currently attending the Memphis Campus will be given the opportunity either to transfer to the consolidated Germantown Campus — hereafter known simply as St. George’s Lower School — or stay where they are, which will become Campus School Kimball, a new school associated with the University of Memphis’s University Schools system.

Mr. Mrva’s email went out to parents, alumni and faculty at 6:01 PM on February 5. Students were not informed. In it, he explained, “…all elementary students currently enrolled at the St. George’s Memphis Campus will have the opportunity to attend our lower school campus in Germantown and continue their St. George’s education through graduation.”

Mr. Mrva added that St. George’s and University Schools will collaborate to support all members of the community through this transition.

There will be town halls on all campuses. Please attend if you have any questions or concerns.
Memphis Campus: February 12, 6:30 pm, Holy Trinity Chapel.
Germantown Campus: February 13, 5:30 pm, Germantown Campus Chapel.
Collierville Campus: February 19, 5:30 pm, Agape Chapel.

This story is actively being updated, and we will continue reporting on this issue, giving it the space it deserves. A copy of the email in its entirety is featured below.

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“February 5, 2025
Dear St. George’s Community,
Since its inception over 60 years ago, St. George’s Independent School has been committed to its founders’ purpose—to lay strong educational foundations, forge fine character, and do so bravely and joyfully. What started in two classrooms on a church campus, with two teachers and less than 20 students, has become a vibrant community of families with over 1,000 students and 200 of the most outstanding faculty in the area. Over those years, the spaces in which we educate and the partners with whom we have educated have grown—with each step forward providing a new opportunity to deliver the founders’ mission.

During the past years, the educational landscape in our state and local area has changed, and the pace of change has accelerated. We have seen new entrants, school closures, public school consolidation, donors prioritizing investments away from private education, and seismic changes in state educational funding models—and more change lies ahead. Within our walls and with our mission in mind, we have formed a vision of how best we advance the SGIS mission for our families now and in the years to come. We are committed to actions that will only strengthen our ability to deliver those strong educational foundations that have guided us from the beginning.

Part of that work involves our physical spaces. We are diligently working to prepare them for higher utilization and the planned growth of our student body. We are repurposing existing space in Germantown to expand Little Georgies, providing more space to meet the incredible demand. Much of this demand is fueled by our own St. George’s graduates, who are starting families and want their children to experience a St. George’s education. We hope to open these new classrooms within the following year.

Another element of that physical space planning encompasses bringing our lower school students onto a shared campus in Germantown, which will be known as St. George’s Lower School. Feedback from our students and families after they joined together on our Collierville Campus has been consistent: I wish we had been together longer. The richness of the relationships and bonds is more substantial the more time our students spend together, sharing common spaces and unified experiences. The time has come for us to move boldly in that direction.

For the 2025-2026 school year, all elementary students currently enrolled at the St. George’s Memphis Campus will have the opportunity to attend our lower school campus in Germantown and continue their St. George’s education through graduation. The Memphis Campus, which started as a neighborhood school 20 years ago, has grown to serve qualifying families from more than 30 different zip codes, with many of our families coming from neighborhoods closer to our Germantown Campus. While winding down our lower school two-campus model will naturally be challenging, this change aligns with feedback from students and families. The momentum we have gathered over the past years is tremendous. Our academic, artistic, athletic and outdoor programs and assets stand apart. To cultivate their potential, we are taking bold and brave actions to capitalize on what has been built, and create an even more dynamic and unique place for our families to call home today and tomorrow.

After the 2024-2025 school year, St. George’s plans to transition the Memphis Campus on Kimball Avenue to University Schools, upon approval of the University of Memphis Board of Trustees. The campus will remain a school and transition to a public SK-5 school under the new name “Campus School Kimball.” St. George’s and University Schools’ leadership will work together throughout this transition to support all members of our community. In addition, families who wish to enroll at Campus School through the University Schools Innovative School District will be able to do so.

We know this news comes as a surprise to many of you, and we wish we had been able to share this update much earlier. School administration and trustees are working diligently, with members of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee, on continuing communication for this next era at St. George’s and our mission-centered future. As we move forward, we will share key milestones and critical information with our community. We are committed to providing opportunities for our families to ask questions as we work together to make this next phase of the St. George’s experience the best yet.

We invite you to attend community town hall meetings with members of the Board of Trustees, Head of School Luke Pruett, and school administrators to learn more.

SGIS COMMUNITY TOWN HALLS

Memphis Campus Families
Wednesday, February 12
Holy Trinity Chapel
6:30 p.m.

Germantown Campus Families
Thursday, February 13
Germantown Campus Chapel
5:30 p.m.

Collierville Campus Families
Wednesday, February 19
Agape Chapel
5:30 p.m.

We are thankful for your continued support and look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Mr. Ben Mrva, Chair
Ms. Lauren Young, Vice Chair
Dr. Kavita Dalsania, Secretary
Ms. Carol Miraglia, Treasurer
Dr. Ola Adeleye
Mr. Ward Collier ’90
Mr. Andy Cowan ’71
Ms. Hope Dmuchowski
Mr. Philip Harris
Mr. Eric Keane
Ms. Emmy Kitolo-Olende
Mr. Bob Land Jr.
Mr. Jon Moorehead
Mr. Field Norris ’96
Mr. Keith Okello
Mr. Chris Patterson
The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher
Mr. Donald Robbins
Ms. Amy E. Sisson
Ms. Dorree Jane Smith
Mr. Bill Taylor”