Becoming informed
Short, honest, dated. Including the one about what we are not good at.
Boys and girls learn in separate academic divisions, with the same course of study and academic expectations. Outside the classroom, they share the larger St. Mary’s community — campus life, chapel, athletics, clubs, traditions and events. The Girls Division opened in 2020.
Last reviewed September 20, 2026
From the first hour to the last, your son’s Tuesday at St. Mary’s is with the Boys Division. Every class is boys-only, science and theology among them, and he is placed subject by subject, so he can be ahead in math and on pace in English. Between classes he and his classmates walk building to building across a lakefront campus, the way he will in college. He eats lunch with his own division. After the last hour the two divisions share a school: clubs, the arts, and one athletic program, the Eaglets. Boarders end the day in a structured study hall. It is a regular day, and that is the point. This fall’s School-Day Open Houses are all on Tuesday mornings. Come and watch one.
Last reviewed September 21, 2026
Classes begin in girls-only rooms with the same faculty and course of study the Boys Division uses. Students eat lunch with their own division. Afternoons are practice, rehearsal or a club. A regular day, on purpose.
Last reviewed September 9, 2026
It means named adults who are responsible for knowing how a student is doing. St. Mary’s has eight academic deans serving approximately 875 students — about one dean for every 109 students — alongside teachers and counselors. The goal is to notice when a student needs help, when the current level is right, and when the student is ready for more. Support here is built around people who know the student, not simply a program name.
Last reviewed September 9, 2026
Students do not have to be Catholic to attend St. Mary’s. Every student studies theology and participates respectfully in the school’s Catholic life, including Mass, prayer and time in the Shrine Chapel. Non-Catholic students are not expected to profess beliefs they do not hold, but they are expected to engage seriously with the faith tradition of the school and attend school Masses.
Last reviewed September 9, 2026
Athletics are shared across the whole school — the Eaglets are one program — and they sit alongside theater, music, the newspaper and clubs as ways a student becomes known. Practice is part of an ordinary afternoon, not the reason a student is here.
Last reviewed September 9, 2026
It is not a place to be anonymous. Small classes and named adults mean a student who wants to coast unnoticed will be noticed. It is not co-ed in the classroom, so a family that wants mixed classes should look elsewhere. And it is not a highlight reel: the day is structured and the standard is real. If that is what you want, come see a Tuesday.
Last reviewed September 9, 2026
