ACADEMICS
academics
We inspire students to challenge what they believe, question what they know, and appreciate different points of view.
Every experience at St. Mark’s is an opportunity to learn and grow. We balance our challenging curriculum with creative, exploratory programs that provide a fuller, deeper education— satisfying individual curiosity and promoting a lifetime of independent and critical thinking.
22 Advanced Courses
We designate our most rigorous courses as Advanced, rather than AP. These courses meet or exceed the challenge of the relevant Advanced Placement curriculum and allow for greater flexibility in curriculum design. Advanced courses include:
• Advanced Topics in Math
• Advanced Topics in STEM: Taft Research Fellowship
• Advanced Music Theory
• Advanced Topics in Computer Science: Project Management and Development
• History Research Fellowship
• Advanced Topics in Latin Literature
• Advanced Religion: Modern Philosophy and the Challenges of Unbelief
Faculty: 93
Teaching faculty with advanced degrees: over 65%
Learn more here!
Diplomas
ST. MARK’S DIPLOMA: All III Form students are required to take six courses plus Success Lab each semester.
All other Forms are required to take a minimum of five courses per semester, but with permission of the dean of academics, students on honors may take six courses.
GLOBAL DIPLOMA: Students participate in a cohort that meets regularly and complete a capstone experience that allows them to translate their curricular and extracurricular experiences to responsible action in the real world.
CLASSICS DIPLOMA: Students complete three years of one classical language and two years of the other, travel to either Greece or Italy on the biennial Classics Diploma trip, and complete a final capstone project in the field of Classical studies.
Holistic Education
Our educational objectives orient the School’s educational program. Evident in all domains of school life, these holistic objectives serve as reference points to inform decisions about the evolution of the academic and community life programs.
• Think critically and creatively to discover and make meaning.
• Communicate skillfully in a variety of modes.
• Collaborate effectively, demonstrating openness to diverse perspectives and new ideas.
• Cultivate knowledge of self, including healthy habits of mind, body, and spirit.
Experiential Learning
Experiential education is a teaching and learning philosophy where students engage in academically rigorous, complex problems and face real-life challenges both on and off campus. It is an integral component of a St. Mark’s School education, preparing students with the knowledge and the agency to live healthy and robust lives rooted in leadership and service. Course examples include:
• Model UN
• Grow Local: St. Mark’s & Chestnut Hill Farms
• Lego Engineers & Mentors
• Special Olympics
ST. MARK’S SATURDAYS
Saturday courses offer students and faculty an innovative opportunity to engage in relevant, interdisciplinary, immersive experiences over three semesters.
LION TERM
All students engage in Lion Term, a 10-day, Form-based experiential learning program that seeks to challenge students with a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Lion Term culminates in an Exhibition of Learning, a series of student-driven presentations that highlight growth, reflection, and future intentions set during participation in the program.
Global Citizenship
The goal of the Global Citizenship Program, through both curricular and extracurricular offerings, is to help our students see and appreciate the distinctive features and the beauty that exists in the variety of cultures of the world, to appreciate the human universals that make all people more similar than different, and to inspire our students to become global citizens.
Some of our 2024-2025 highlights include:
• Choir and Orchestra trip to Germany and Austria (Spring Break)
• Guadeloupe and India (Spring Break)
• Classics program to Italy (Spring Break)
• Cuba (Lion Term)
• Navajo Nation (Lion Term)
• Model UN in Denmark
We offer:
• Semester-long and yearlong School Year Abroad
• Partner school exchanges: Chile, Australia, and India
• Spring Break cultural opportunites
• Community engagement
• Lion Term travel
• Lions Roam: Germany and Poland
A unique course that engage students in rigorous academic and experiential learning, with a connected and culminating domestic or international trip that takes place during Lion Term. The destination of the Lions Roam is different each year.
Learn more here!
Fellowship & Grants
St. Mark’s School proudly offers six diverse grants and fellowships designed to empower students to expand their learning, pursue their passions beyond the curriculum, and delve into new interests. Grants and fellowships are open to all students. Awards are based on the merit of proposals and alignment with the objectives of the grant or fellowship.
With the support of these programs, St. Mark’s students have engaged in transformative experiences such as studying conservation in the Galapagos, curating an exhibition focused on deaf studies and sign language, organizing a STEM summer camp for refugees in Worcester, and presenting research on Asian-American religious identities at an academic conference. The curiosity of our students knows no bounds!
College Counseling
From a student’s first day on campus, preparation begins for life after St. Mark’s. Our college counselors become immediately acquainted with students to help guide them toward their next steps. It is a process that builds confidence and provides autonomy.
• We have three full-time college counselors
• Class of 2024 graduates are attending 60 colleges and universities and were accepted to 161 schools
• 81 percent of the class are attending a private institution; 15 percent attend a public (state) institution; three students are attending an international institution
