A Brief History of Colegio San Esteban
By Reverendo Gilberto Junco (Rector), as translated by Tom McGowan
The front gate of Colegio Episcopal San Esteban.
With its founding in 1922. Colegio Episcopal San Esteban (St. Stephen’s Episcopal School) became the first educational institution in the Dominican Diocese. The school was a response to the learning needs of children whose families immigrated from English speaking islands in the eastern Caribbean. Initially, teachers taught in English, but a mandate from the government of the dictator Rafael Trujillo forced a change to a Spanish-based curriculum.
Although the school has been in continuous operation for over 100 years, its location has changed several times, moving from place-to-place in the city center of San Pedro de Macoris. At one point, it served children from first to eighth grades in a building that that later housed a juvenile court complex.
In 1943, the Colegio moved into its own building next to the church templo (sanctuary) on the north side of the city. Roughly 20 years later, the school relocated one last time to a larger space on the church grounds to accommodate growing enrollments at the nursery, pre-school, primary, intermediate and secondary levels (essentially babies to HS seniors). Until 2007 teachers offered three shifts: morning, afternoon and evening. From 2007-2017, declining numbers prompted a reduction to a single morning session.
From 2007 to 2011, San Esteban became a temporary campus for several post-secondary institutions, offering extension programs through the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD. The school also hosted the Infotep technical training school and the government’s Youth and Employment program, preparing employees for placement in a range of fields.
Students in a classroom at San Esteban.
After 2019, as enrollments grew once again, San Esteban has offered an extended school day for grades K-3 and traditional scheduling for other grade levels. Enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year reached 433 students (138 pre-schoolers, 143 in the grades 1-6, and 152 at the secondary level, including a graduating class of 14 young people).
Much of this recent success stems from the excellent reputation of the Dominican Episcopal school system for providing values-based, academically challenging coursework. During a recent visit, Missionary Tom McGowan asked HS sophomores if they intended to go on to university studies; every student raised their hands. Recent facilities improvements also have contributed to the point that San Esteban has asked Bishop Moises Quezada for funding to add additional classroom space.
The Colegio San Esteban community looks to the future with optimism and faith that its students will be well-served.