Just three miles from the Pacific Ocean amid gentle rolling hills, St. Margaret's campus is nestled in the heart of lovely, historic San Juan Capistrano.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School was founded by The Reverend Canon Ernest D. Sillers, an Episcopal priest, and was named for Scotland’s patron saint of education, St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland. The school opened its doors in 1979 to seventy-nine students who attended kindergarten through grade 6 in temporary structures.

In 1981, St. Margaret’s added an Early Childhood Development Center, and the Upper School opened its doors in 1982 with two ninth grade sections. By the 1985-86 school year, students were enrolled at all grade levels, from preschool through grade 12.

In 1986, St. Margaret’s welcomed its second Headmaster, Markham B. Campaigne, who joined a community of 650 students on a 6.5-acre campus with minimal facilities for science and athletics and a very small library. During his seventeen-year tenure, St. Margaret’s grew to serve over 1,200 students on a beautiful 20-acre campus that now includes first class facilities for science, technology, library and athletics.

In 2003, Marcus D. Hurlbut joined the St. Margaret’s community as its third Headmaster. Mr. Hurlbut brings a history rich in independent school education, having served for eleven years as Headmaster of The Derryfield School in New Hampshire and for nine years as Headmaster of Friends Academy in New York. His arrival coincides with a new chapter in the growth and development of St. Margaret’s as the school looks to implement important new phases of its campus master plan.

The 2004 - 2005 school year marked the twenty-fifth year for St. Margaret's.
View a slideshow of SMES Today and Yesterday compiled by Lisa Merryman, Faculty Emeritus, and Archivist for St. Margaret's.