Boarding Schools St. Mark’s School
St. Mark’s School |
location | type | grades | students | int’l. | s-f ratio | class | SSAT | SAT-avg | TOEFL |
Southborough, MA | co-ed | 9-12 | 370 | 20% | 5:1 | 12 | Opt’l | 1390 | 100 |
St. Mark’s, founded in 1865, is a college-preparatory boarding and day school, grades nine through twelve. The School’s outstanding faculty guides nearly 350 students through a rigorous curriculum and a full program of athletic, artistic and spiritual activities, fostering a close and supportive community.
Much of life at St. Mark’s takes place under one roof, in the Main Building. That distinctive feature, combined with small seminar-style classes, and the variety of connections students and faculty make in the classroom, on the athletic field, on the stage, and in the dormitory, creates an extraordinary sense of community. They talk together about values at St. Mark’s and explore spiritual questions. St. Mark’s takes education seriously, but also provides opportunities for a lot of fun.
Academics
St. Mark’s School educates young people for lives of leadership and service. Founded in 1865 as an intentionally small residential community, the School challenges its students to develop their particular analytic and creative capabilities by both inspiring their academic and spiritual curiosity and kindling their passion for discovery. We value cooperation over self-interest, and we encourage each person to explore his or her place in the larger world beyond our campus.
Special Highlights
Student Leadership Opportunities. St. Markers have ample opportunity to assume leadership roles. Each year, seven VIth Formers lead the student body as monitors—senior members of Student Congress that run twice-weekly school meetings and meet weekly with the deans and head of school. The Admission Office selects a number of students to aid its efforts, as admission prefects, big brothers and sisters to incoming students, and orientation team members. Leadership opportunities also exist through the Alumni/ae Office, the chapel program, the Deans’ Office, and dormitories. To prepare St. Markers for the many opportunities available, the dean of students conducts spring and fall leadership training sessions to assist students in developing skills and to encourage them to engage in strategic planning.
Religion. St. Mark’s is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and rooted in that tradition. At the same time, our students, faculty and staff come from many varied faith and non-faith traditions, and we encourage and support them in that diversity. Our required twice-weekly chapel service is open and interfaith in style and structure. It is not a church service but a school chapel service, hosting a variety of student, faculty and outside speakers and performers.
Top colleges attended by students
Boston University, Bucknell University, Columbia University, Georgetown University, MIT, Northwestern, Tufts University, Williams College
What the school looks for in students…
“We look for students who are superior, not only academically, but also in integrity and maturity.”