St. Mary’s School

The world is dynamically connected today in ways that did not exist even ten years ago. With the advent of the Internet and technological advances, the pace of change is exponential. The challenge for our education system is to provide curriculum that keeps up with this pace of change. We believe that the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is poised to meet this challenge.

St. Mary’s is the only primary and middle school in Orange County to offer the International Baccalaureate Program. St. Mary’s delivers exceptional academics with a world-view to students from early preschool through eighth grade. The IB Program was founded in Switzerland in 1968 to prepare internationally mobile students for university. Today, it offers educational programs for students worldwide ranging in age from three to 19 by a community of educators motivated to create a better world through education. This kind of aspirational goal requires faculty excellence – over 70% of St. Mary’s teachers hold advanced degrees – and demands stimulating, individualized interaction. Teacher to student ratios at St. Mary’s range from 1:6 in Early Preschool, to 1:11 in Lower School, to 1:18 by the Middle School years.

“This student centered, inquiry based approach motivates students to engage in the curriculum and allows them to see how academic material applies in the outside world,” says Sharon Taylor, Head of School. Academic programs are designed so that each subject translates to another, enabling students to connect ideas and concepts in different fields. Taylor adds, “Our faith-based, extracurricular-rich, IB-inspired education delivers graduates who consistently show levels of communication, thinking skills and all-around knowledge that guarantees academic perseverance and flexibility, equipping them for success in high school, higher education, and life beyond.”

St. Mary’s School
7 Pursuit
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
949.448.9027 • www.smaa.org