St. Stephen's was founded in 1964 by Dr. John O. Patterson, the former Headmaster of the Kent School in Connecticut.

Patterson and his team of educators selected Rome because of its rich history and proximity to some of the major moral, artistic, philosophical, and political antecedents of the Western world.

Patterson intended for the school to be a haven where students from around the world could come to learn and grow together—a truly international setting.

A small number of boarders come from the United States to complete either a semester or year abroad.

[3] In addition to the mandatory liberal arts curricula, the school offers additional courses in Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Latin.