Students entering St. Mary’s School plan their program for the period of four years in order to ensure that all requirements for graduation and college entrance are met. All students at St. Mary's are required to take 28 credits of coursework prior to graduation. For a breakdown of specific subject area requirements, please consult the chart on graduation requirements on the following page. During their four years at St. Mary’s, students will be assisted by their advisors, teachers, and school administrators with career exploration and college planning. Special attention will be given to planning and preparing for the various aptitude and achievement tests required by most institutions of higher education (PSAT, SAT I & II, and Advanced Placement exams). St. Mary's offers over twenty Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP exams are given in May.

Upper School graduation requirements provide a sound academic base for competitive colleges and include those courses which incorporate the values espoused in the philosophy of the school. Students should be aware that most colleges, including all Oregon state colleges, require 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics after pre-algebra, 2 years of science (not in the same area—i.e. not biology and AP biology), 3 years of social studies, and 2 years of other college-preparatory courses. In addition, most colleges require 2 years of a language and recommend 3 years of lab science courses.

All of the courses within the St. Mary’s School curriculum are planned with scope and sequence in mind so that each course will build on the materials covered in previous courses. Additionally, individualized help and programs are available for students who have missed some portion of the program or who are working toward mastery at their own pace.

ISA Testing

In February, sophomores will complete the International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) which offers schools a form of international benchmarking.

Community Service

As part of our mission to inspire responsible citizenship, St. Mary’s students perform a minimum of 100 hours of meaningful community service as part of the graduation requirement. The Community Service Committee will help students locate service opportunities that are both interesting and relevant to future career choices.

Challenge 20/20 Project

This project brings St. Mary's sophomores together with a school in another country to work toward solving a global problem. Challenge 20/20 is based on Jean François Rischard’s book, High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them. School partner teams work together during the fall semester to identify and research one of the 20 problems, then suggest solutions to be implemented on a local level — on the campuses or communities of both schools. The goal is then to broaden the solution on a global level.

Junior Project

A 12 to 20 page, thesis-driven, multi-disciplinary research paper and oral presentation are required as a capstone to the junior year. Teachers serve as mentors and guides in this process throughout the second semester.

Senior Project

In the second semester, all members of the senior class must write a 7 to 10 page paper reflecting on their community service experience as well as researching and analyzing a related issue. There are both written and oral components to this project.