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The outstanding development of the St Andrew High School for Girls since 1925 has as its foundation a “Basis of Union” drawn up between the Presbyterian Church of Jamaica and the Wesleyan Methodist Church as they jointly pursued their mission of providing a secondary education for Jamaican girls. The school’s first headmistress Miss Jenny Gartshore embodied the mission of the founders in the choice of a motto ”Life More Abundant” inspired by St John chapter 10 verse 10 “… I came that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly.”

From the outset the school focused on the fourfold development of its charges – physical, mental, spiritual and social – to create well-rounded citizens able to contribute positively to community and country.

In its journey from 21 scholars in 1925 to approximately 1540 in 2013, SAHS has produced hundreds of outstanding women who have made their mark in a wide range of disciplines – medicine, law, education, international affairs, finance, religion, politics and sports – with many achieving firsts in their respective fields.

The school’s success is, in large part, due to the outstanding leadership it has enjoyed in the persons of its Principals – Jenny Gartshore, Margaret Gartshore, Mary Dawson, Fay Saunders, Joan Reader, Dahlia Mills-Repole and Sharon Reid. The contribution of Old Girls and the Parent Teachers Associations has been invaluable as they continue to support the school in many ways.