Profile of Distinction
At a Glance 2010-2011
Enrollment: 620
Ethnicity of students:
Caucasian 69%, Asian/Pacific Islander 12%, African American 9%, Hispanic 7%, Native
American 2%, Middle Eastern 1%
St. Mary’s families of the Catholic religion: 48%
Financial aid awarded: $1,050,000
Families receiving financial aid: 42%
Average financial aid package: $4,860
Average graduates bound for higher education: 99%
Merit-based scholarships offered to 2010 graduates: $10.3 million
Faculty: 51
Faculty with advanced degrees: 78%
Student/teacher ratio: 12:1
Average class size: 22
Percentage scored above the national average on the SAT: 17.1%
Percentage scored above the national average on the ACT: 21.8%
Profile of Distinction
- Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary's Academy is Oregon's oldest continuously operating secondary school with over 10,000 alumnae.
- St. Mary’s is the only school in Oregon to receive three U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program Awards.
- St. Mary's celebrates the achievements of the 147 accomplished young women comprising the Class of 2010: 7 National Merit® Scholarship Program Finalists, 12 National Merit® Scholarship Program Commended Scholars, 1 National Hispanic Scholar, 1 Regional Scholastic Art Gold Key Award, 7 Regional Scholastic Art Silver Key Awards, 1 Regional Scholastic Senior Art Portfolio Honorable Mention Award, 13 Regional Scholastic Art Award Honorable Mention Awards, 8 National Art Honor Society Honor Cords, 42 Service Honor Cords, 36 Scholar Athletes, 21 Thespian Honor Cords, 17 Tri-M Music Honor Cords, 20 OSAA Music Scholars and 59 National Honor Society Stoles.
- For the fourth year in a row, St. Mary’s teams won first in the State Science Olympiad Competition.
- Eighty-nine percent of students earned a 3 or better on Advanced Placement exams with 37% of students earning the highest score of a 5. Tests are scored from one to five, and a score of three or better will earn college credit at many universities.
- St. Mary’s Academy has won 17 OSAA state championships in five different sports and two Oregon Girls' Lacrosse Association State Titles; additionally the Blues Cross Country team recently placed 10th in the nation. The Blues also have won four academic state titles, twice winning the OSAA/POWERade Scholar Athlete award with the highest percentage of senior student athletes with a 3.50 GPA and above. At the conference level, St. Mary’s teams have earned 64 titles, 41 as members of the Metro League, 21 in the Mt. Hood Conference and two in the OGLA PIL League.
- Sixty-eight percent of students receive academic honors with a G.P.A. of 3.50 or above, and 88 percent of the student body is involved in extra-curricular activities.
- St. Mary’s boasts computer technology throughout the building in classrooms, three computer labs, a computer presentation room and three specialized mobile laptop labs in world languages and science.
- The entire student body, faculty and staff participate in the school’s community service program, providing direct service to the poor and disadvantaged, and 86 percent of the student body is involved in non-mandatory community service.
- St. Mary’s offers two unique mentoring programs: Teaching, Integrating and Exploring Science (TIES) science mentoring program pairing St. Mary’s Academy students with fifth grade girls from local parochial schools, and Alumna-Student Mentorship Program where sophomore and junior students are paired with St. Mary’s alumnae.
- As an added benefit of St. Mary’s downtown location, SMA students visit several nearby museums and galleries and also volunteer time at organizations including Blanchet House, Fish Emergency Services, Downtown Chapel and Sisters of the Road Café.
- Advantages of an all girls education include the removal of gender bias in the classroom, the ability for students to build self confidence and empowering young women.
- 56% of SMA students are currently taking an art elective including AP Studio Art, Calligraphy, Ceramics, Concert Choir, Dance, Drawing, Marian Instruments, Marian Singers, Musical Theatre, Music Theory/Composition, Piano Ensemble, Photography, Playwrighting, Theatre and Watercolor Painting.
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