Boarding Information

St. Bede Academy, located 100 miles southwest of Chicago, was founded in 1890 by a group of Benedictine Monks. Originally St. Bede was an all-boys high school which included a significant number of boarding students. The Academy became co-ed in 1973, but the boarding school remained all-male. In 1981 the boarding school was closed. 

We are presently a co-ed college prep school with 275 students. Due to interest from alumni and foreign students, we resumed the boarding program during the 2007-2008 school year and our facilities were filled to capacity.

We have established a living situation that combines the structure of a boarding school, with a small group living experience. Each home is supervised by a married couple who have a direct connection to St. Bede Academy. The home for boys has a capacity of eight, while the home for girls houses six. The homes are located within minutes of the Academy. We believe this model will foster the academic, spiritual and personal growth of the students who choose to attend St. Bede.

Fees for the 2007-2008 school year:
(we expect there will be an annual cost of living increase each year.)
$20,000 for foreign students
$18,500 for 7 day boarders
$16,500 for 5 day boarders.

Fees include:
Room, Board and Tuition
Textbooks and class fees
Admission to school events
Yearbook
Standardized Achievement Test-PLAN test during So. year and ACT test during Jr. year.
Senior retreat
Graduation expenses and announcements
Transportation from airport in August and to airport in late May
Computers will be available for student use at the boarding residence

If parents wish, the student's spending money may be managed by our school business office.

Fees do not include:
Sports packages for various extra extra-curricular sports and activities.
The boarding facility will be closed during the two week Christmas break. Students must have health insurance before being accepted.


While we have students with a wide range of academic ability, our average ACT score is 22. The top third of student’s average is 26.

We offer four Advanced Placement courses for juniors and seniors. In addition, we offer four college credit courses on our campus. If students take advantage of these opportunities they could earn 24 college credits before graduation.

For further information you may also contact the Mr. McGunnigal, Admissions Director at tmcgunn@st-bede.com or Fr. Philip Davey, OSB, Dean of Boarding (frphilip@st-bede.com) We will begin accepting American boarding students on March 1 and foreign students on March 21. We anticipate 2-3 openings for each boarding house for the 2008-2009 school year. 

While we accept students in each grade level, we will only accept 12th grade students if they will be able to graduate with their class. When a student is accepted, he/she will be required to send a $3,000 non-refundable deposit. Applications are available on our website. A student must also submit a copy of their transcripts, two letters of recommendations from teachers or school officials, proof of reasonable proficiency in English, and a short essay about themselves and their goals.