Charlie O’Brien is a typical 8th-grader. He loves soccer, hanging out with friends, playing X-Box, and listening to music. His weekend consists of hanging out with his friends, playing select soccer, and doing his homework.

But Charlie may have an advantage over many young people. He attends a prestigious private school in Dallas, where standardized test scores are high and everyone graduates and goes to college. The classes are tough. The environment is competitive, and good for developing minds.

The teachers are awesome at the St. Marks School of Texas, Charlie said. He also believes that he is making friendships that will last a lifetime.

“I love going to school at St. Marks,” he said.

St. Mark’s was founded in 1950 and is a non-sectarian 40-acre college preparatory day school for boys in grades one through 12. The school’s goal, according to its charter, is to give students a “well-rounded physical, intellectual, moral, and religious training and instruction.”

In 2011, St. Mark’s sent 100 percent of its senior class to attend a four-year college or university. Its senior class size was 83, with 18 National Merit finalists and 17 commended. That is quite different than the average public school in Texas, where in 2011 only 52 percent of students graduated. There were a total of 210 National Merit Finalists in the entire state.

This year, St. Marks’ senior class has 90 students, with 20 National Merit finalists, 26 commended, one National Achievement semi- finalist, and one National Hispanic Recognition Program- honorable mention. St. Mark’s class of 2012 has an average SAT score is 2072 out of 2400 (1393 out of 1600). That compares to the rest of the state, where the average SAT score is 1462 out of 2400 (989 out of 1600).

It is expensive to attend St. Mark’s – the tuition averages roughly $20,000 a year per child. But parents say the price is worth it.

Matthew Wilner is the father of three boys attending the school. Wilner believes that the investment in St. Mark’s is worth it, with its small class sizes – many of them with fewer than 15 students – and rigorous academics.

“The small class sizes, intensive learning material, and the opportunities they gain being in this academic environment are second to none,” said Wilner.

George Holden is a professor of Psychology at Southern Methodist University. Holden believes that small classes like those at St. Mark’s give students an edge both cognitively and psychologically because students receive more personal attention. For students with academic or other problems, this can be a real advantage. Being in a smaller school and class setting means they are more likely to receive help, he said.

Average class sizes can range from 20 students to more than 30 in public schools across Texas, depending on the grade.

Students “are more likely to be noticed by teachers” in smaller classes, Holden said. “In turn, students are more likely to receive help in addressing those problems.”

Charlie O’Brien, who lives in Dallas, has attended St. Mark’s since he was in 5th grade. He is now in his final trimester before moving on to upper school, or high school.

“I feel confident going into upper school, I feel like middle school has prepared me well and I’m looking forward to the next step,” said Charlie.

For the outsider looking in, how rigorous is the education at St. Mark’s? Looking at an average day at St. Marks, it’s easy to see that the school offers its students a pretty intensive academic experience. Here’s a recent day in Charlie’s life:

1st Period – Chemistry

Charlie begins every morning with Paul Hoen’s chemistry class, which has just 14 students. Most public school students in Texas will not be offered chemistry until the high school level. Here, Charlie and his fellow classmates meet outside the classroom to study before a quiz covering ionic and chemical compounds. For the 20-question quiz, the students had to identify and write the chemical formulas of compound chemicals from the periodical table of elements. This quiz was to prepare the students for their test on Tuesday on ionic compounds. Later, Mr. Hoen lectured on formula mass, melting point trends for ionic compounds, and chemical characteristics.

2nd Period – Algebra

After chemistry, Charlie has Clara Ann Norma’s Algebra class, which also has 14 students. The students worked on factoring and charting complex quadratic equations. Once the students solved their problems for the day, they were assigned homework for the following day.

3rd Period – Latin

After Algebra, Charlie has Claire Strange’s Latin class along with 12 other students. The students had a Latin quiz covering 25 words. They had to conjugate the verbs into their masculine and feminine forms. To prepare for the quiz the students played a review game on the class “Smart Board”. The Smart Board is a projection system on a board that has the students use interactive sensors to press the board for clues, hints, and letters to spell out the verb it was describing. Later, the students reviewed Latin verbs, sentence structures, and facts for the national exam all students are required to take for Latin.

4th Period – Senior Exhibition

At St. Mark’s, the middle school students attend forums called Senior Exhibitions. In these exhibitions senior students put together a presentation for the middle school students. Today, Charlie and his fellow peers learned from a St. Marks senior about Aristotle’s Oligarchy of the Cave. The students asked questions, gave feedback, and commented on the exhibition.

“I really enjoy the senior exhibitions,” said Charlie. “It’s something we will look forward to do when we are seniors and it connects us with the upperclassmen.”

Lunch

5th and 6TH Periods – Humanities

After Lunch, Charlie and his fellow students quickly review their humanities vocabulary words for their class with Cynthia Ferguson. The class has a total of 10 students. Once class began the students had 20 vocabulary words that they had to use in a story without using linking verbs such as: is, am, or was. The students also discussed “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale”, by Art Spiegelman, a biography of the author’s father, Vladek Spiegelman, who is a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The story is written in comic book form. The story describes Vladek’s like in Poland before and during World War II. It is the only comic book ever to have won a Pulitzer Prize.

7th Period – Study Hall

After humanities, Charlie has a study period to do homework and prepare for the following days tests and quizzes. Many students at St. Marks use this time to review the material that they learned throughout the day.

8th period – Athletics

The final class period of the day is athletics. Charlie plays on the St. Marks Tennis team. At the start of 8th period Charlie and his fellow teammates warm-up before commencing practice. After an hour and half of Tennis, Charlie is done for the day at 4:00 p.m.

Athletics at St. Marks differ vastly from public schools in Texas. Public middle schools do not offer soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, water polo, fencing, swimming & diving, or baseball.

Mark Sullivan is the Athletic Director of St. Marks. He believes that athletic events serve as a vital part in the bonding among the students.

“These events serve as the catalyst for bonding relationships that last throughout the boys lives,” said Sullivan.