Our Mission and Beliefs

Trinity Episcopal School's mission is to build confident, resilient upstanders on a foundation of academic excellence, moral responsibility, and faith who are prepared to make a positive difference in the world.

Over Sixty Years Educating and Forming Children 

Trinity Episcopal School has its beginnings in Miss Edith Aiken's The Little School for Little Children, founded in 1917. Classes were conducted at her family home, Warwick Manor, located at 1223 Second Street in the Garden District. Miss Aiken believed in the goodness of people, the humanity of people, the godliness of people. She was a living embodiment of these ideals. Her students responded to her idealism and to her faith.

In 1958, Miss Aiken contacted Canon Turner at Trinity Church to suggest transferring her Little School to Trinity, which was four blocks away. Trinity Episcopal School opened its doors in 1960. Today, Trinity is a co-educational, Prekindergarten through Eighth Grade school of 350+ students. Trinity Episcopal School continues in the tradition of both Miss Aiken and that of Trinity Episcopal Church, which since its founding in 1847 has maintained a commitment to the educational and civic life of New Orleans.

Miss Aiken served as Headmistress the first year, and the succeeding Heads of School have been The Reverend Thomas N. F. Shaw (196⁠1—75), The Reverend Charles Rodney Smith (1975—6), Mr. George David Hardman, Jr. (1976—81), Mr. Edward Pickett Cavin (1981—94), Mr. Julian Patrick Bull (1994-2001), The Reverend Dr. Michael C. Kuhn (2001—2014), and The Reverend E. Gary Taylor (2014-present).

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The Four Commitments of
Trinity Episcopal School

1. TO FOCUS ON OUR MISSION—We will be intentional and articulate about how we are striving to achieve our Mission, advancing children toward our Portrait of the Graduate.
2. TO CREATE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING—We will offer a highly student-centric program, that is, one that is attuned to the individual student's experience and responsive to his or her needs.
3. TO ENHANCE PARTNERSHIPS WITH PARENTS THROUGH PERSONALIZED COMMUNICATION—We will proactively engage the parents as partners in our work and explore effective ways to communicate with them about the education and student experience at Trinity.
4. TO FOSTER A SCHOOL CULTURE OF KINDNESS AND COHESION—We will consistently model kindness and respect while building cohesion through meaningful collaboration between grade level teams and divisions. 

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Diversity and Inclusion at Trinity 

In the fall of 2016, Trinity School reached an important milestone. The Board-appointed Diversity and Inclusion Committee finalized a new Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement for our School, a statement that has been approved by the Board of Trustees. Like our School Mission Statement, this statement does not represent a departure from the values for which Trinity has stood for more than sixty years. Instead, it clarifies and indeed emphasizes the School's primary convictions since its founding.

The Trinity Episcopal School Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement:

As a ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church, Trinity School's ethos is to respect the dignity of every human being and to ensure that all people who serve and will be well- served by the program of our School are welcome in our community regardless of race, religion, background, gender, or sexual identity.  We believe that a learning environment that includes a wide diversity of viewpoints consistent with the School's mission is essential to a complete educational experience. It is a part of Trinity's mission to activity build and support an inclusive environment in which all feel they are valued members of our community.