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Our Academic Approach

At Saint Mary’s, we know what girls need to learn and thrive. We combine that with what we know of our fast-changing world to offer an education designed expressly for girls. Our rigorous curriculum challenges and prepares our students for the challenges of higher education and beyond, while also nurturing their passions and interests through a wide range of co-curricular activities.

Curriculum Goals

Saint Mary’s School strives, through its academic curriculum, to challenge each student to embrace the habits of an intellectual life. The faculty work to prepare each student to take responsibility for herself and for her future. We intend that graduates of Saint Mary’s School develop the Saint Mary’s 10 Competencies, building their skills on a foundation marked by core knowledge of a liberal arts curriculum. 

10 Key Competencies

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Honors Courses

Courses at Saint Mary’s School are designed to enrich a student’s knowledge and skills in a variety of subject areas. Students should be prepared for a variety of assignments in courses, such as homework, projects, papers, and tests. Students should be prepared for engaging and challenging high school work in Saint Mary’s courses.

Advanced Placement Courses

The Advanced Placement™ (AP) Program at Saint Mary's offers rigorous, college-level courses for students after 9th grade, requiring completion of an external exam for potential college credit. Course loads are carefully determined based on a student’s performance and readiness, with specific criteria developed by the Dean of Academic Innovation and faculty. AP courses include summer prep-work and have prerequisites, with requests for enrollment subject to approval based on the student’s overall academic schedule. Students and parents are responsible for the AP exam fee.

Distinguished Scholars Courses

Saint Mary’s School offers Distinguished Scholars (DS) courses as rigorous alternatives to Advanced Placement™ classes, emphasizing interdisciplinary and experiential learning rooted in 10 key competencies like communication and cross-cultural intelligence. These courses allow students to explore their passions through creative, challenging curricula. Summer prep-work is required, and course requests are subject to approval based on overall academic load, with exceptions considered by the Dean of Academic Innovation and the Assistant Head of School.

Independent Study

Independent study is an application-based program allowing students to engage in academic study beyond formal courses. In collaboration with a faculty moderator, students develop a rigorous course that may include research, hands-on creation, experimentation, or partnerships with external organizations. Students must demonstrate the impact of their work on themselves and their community. This program, which requires self-motivation and intellectual curiosity, is open to 11th and first-semester 12th graders.

Student Support

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