Welcome

On behalf of our Board of Trustees and school leadership, we are proud to share the 2025–2026 State of the School. This microsite highlights the meaningful work and achievements of the past year, including academic growth, new campus spaces, financial health, and community engagement.

This has been a transformative year. The Sillers Center, our hub for creativity and collaboration, is bringing learning to life every day. Alongside it, the Thompson Family Early Education Center, Liu Family Playground, Floriani Family Park, and Welcome Café provide spaces where students explore, create, and grow as compassionate leaders.

Academically, St. Mary’s continues to shine. Last year, 100% of our graduates were accepted into their top-choice high schools, and MAP and ISA results show students performing at the highest levels globally. Our unique educational model blends the International Baccalaureate Programme with design thinking, preparing students to think critically, communicate clearly, and approach challenges with creativity and resilience.

At the same time, we are looking ahead. This year, trustees, faculty, staff, parents, and partners have been engaged in a thoughtful strategic planning process to ensure St. Mary’s continues to thrive in a rapidly changing world. This spring, we will introduce our strategic plan, outlining a clear vision for the future and the priorities that will guide our next chapter.

With over 2,000 alumni making a difference worldwide and 720 Falcons currently growing their world-sized hearts and world-class minds, St. Mary’s is truly a special place. This microsite is your window into our school—explore at your own pace and see how your support fuels programs, spaces, and experiences that prepare our students for the world.

Thank you for being a part of our community. The best chapters are still ahead, and we are thrilled to write them together.

Head of School Address

Academic Highlights

This year, St. Mary’s made intentional, mission-driven investments in teaching, learning, and student experience—strengthening our academic program while preparing students for a rapidly changing world.

Learning Environments That Inspire

Our EEP through Kindergarten students are now housed in the brand-new Sillers Center, a purpose-built space for early learners featuring bright classrooms, play-based learning areas, and dedicated tinkering spaces that nurture curiosity and creativity.
The entire school benefits from learning in our Design Center, a dynamic hub used across grade levels for art, technology, science and design. These shared spaces foster interdisciplinary thinking, innovation, and hands-on problem-solving for all students.

Middle School Program Enhancements

Redesigned the Middle School daily schedule to include longer instructional blocks, allowing for deeper learning, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Increased core academic time with five days per week of Language & Literature and Math.
Implemented extended blocks for Science, Individuals & Socities, Arts and Design, supporting experiential, project-based learning.

Curriculum Innovation

Adopted a new, research-based math program schoolwide, launching in the 2025–26 school year to ensure consistency, rigor, and strong foundational skills.
Hosted our first-ever Math Night, strengthening the home–school partnership and supporting families in understanding how math is taught today.
Fully integrated Design units in every grade from EEP through Grade 8, reinforcing creativity, collaboration, and real-world application of learning.
Launched Grade 5 LEGO Robotics Day for each class, fostering teamwork, engineering skills, and joyful learning.

Faculty Growth & Global Learning*

Doubled the Professional Development budget, reaffirming our belief that investing in educators directly benefits students.
Expanded teacher training opportunities, with faculty participating in targeted professional learning experiences.
Continued to broaden our global perspective, with faculty traveling internationally to bring innovative practices and global awareness back to our classrooms.

*See Professional Development Section for more data.

Prepared for What’s Next

Prepared for High School

We have completed the collection and analysis of high school mathematics placement data for members of the Class of 2025 as they transitioned into their next academic environments. While most receiving high schools do not routinely share course-level placement information, we worked closely with our alumni and families to compile accurate and meaningful data. This effort allows us to better understand how our graduates are positioned within high school mathematics pathways and to assess the strength of their preparation at St. Mary’s.

The results are affirming. St. Mary’s students consistently place into the highest available mathematics pathways and outperform their peers from other feeder schools. These outcomes underscore the rigor of our program and the depth of preparation our students receive.

In addition, snapshot HSPT performance results from students who assessed at JSerra and Santa Margarita further reinforce this trend, with St. Mary’s students demonstrating exceptional readiness and academic achievement as they enter high school.

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Benchmark Testing

In Lower and Middle School our students participate in two primary forms of standardized testing. The first is the NWEA™ Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) Growth Math Test and the second is the International Schools' Assessment (ISA). The purpose of these tests are to inform instruction and highlight the strengths and opportunities for growth in our program.

What is the MAP Assessment?

The NWEA™ Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) Growth Math Test is a computerized assessment that measures students' proficiency and knowledge in mathematics. The test is adaptive, meaning the questions' difficulty level changes according to the student's previous answers. This ensures that the test is uniquely tailored for each student to show his or her individual academic progress irrespective of grade level in algebra, geometry, statistics, probability, and complex number systems.

What Does the Data Mean?

A significant percentage of our St. Mary's students are scoring in the 80th percentile or above.
A large percentage of our students are scoring in the 60th-80th percentile range.
These numbers indicate St. Mary's students are vastly outperforming national norms.

What is the ISA?

The International Schools' Assessment (ISA) is designed for students in Grades 3–10 in international schools and schools with an international focus. The ISA assesses how well students can apply skills to situations relating to real life in the 21st century. The ISA extends beyond multiple-choice; it includes open-ended questions and writing tasks which provide a better insight into students’ thinking processes. The questions often require students to construct a response, explain their reasoning, find evidence, or justify their opinion.

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Activating The Sillers Center: Spaces Designed for Learning

This year, The Sillers Center moved from a bold vision to a fully active hub of learning, creativity, and collaboration. Purposefully designed to support St. Mary’s IB-inspired, design-thinking approach, the Center’s interconnected spaces are now an essential part of daily life on campus—shaping how students inquire, create, and reflect at every stage of their learning.

Across grade levels, students engage in meaningful work within the Arman Family Empathy Lab, Tavakoli Kadar Idea Lab, Zhang Family Gallery, Tang Family Falcon Workshop, Keif Family Tool Shed, and The Garage. Together, these spaces support the full design cycle—empathizing, ideating, prototyping, testing, and refining—while remaining flexible enough to meet students where they are developmentally and academically.

Grounded in IB principles of inquiry, reflection, and real-world connection, learning in The Sillers Center is both interdisciplinary and purposeful. Younger students build curiosity, empathy, and foundational problem-solving skills, while older students deepen their conceptual understanding, collaborate across disciplines, and apply technical knowledge using advanced tools and technologies. Shared spaces like the Gallery foster collective inquiry and global perspectives, while hands-on environments empower students to transform ideas into tangible solutions.

More than new facilities, The Sillers Center represents our commitment to preparing students for a rapidly changing world. By aligning thoughtfully designed spaces with our IB framework and design-thinking mindset, we are equipping students with the skills, confidence, and adaptability to navigate complexity—ready not only for the next grade level, but for meaningful engagement beyond St. Mary’s.

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Strategic Plan Progress

Over the past year, St. Mary’s has been deeply engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process designed to guide our school with clarity, purpose, and intention. Beginning in Spring 2025, this work launched with the formation of a Steering Committee, a board kick-off, and the design of a thoughtful planning framework. Throughout the summer, we conducted extensive background research, stakeholder interviews, community surveys, and an environmental and competitive scan to ensure our planning was informed by data, diverse perspectives, and best practices.

This fall and into spring 2026, the process has moved into a highly collaborative and creative phase. Through community ideation sessions, Steering Committee workshops, and ongoing input from the Board, faculty, staff, and families, we have articulated a renewed vision, clearly defined values, and strategic commitments that will guide St. Mary’s into the future. At the heart of this work is a compelling vision: to educate a generation of globally minded leaders grounded in purpose and inspired to design solutions for the world—fully aligned with our mission, World-Sized Hearts. World-Class Minds.

Collectively, this work clarifies who we are, how we teach, and why our work matters. It provides a shared language and a clear direction as we continue to strengthen our academic program, deepen student engagement, and prepare learners not only to navigate the world—but to improve it. In late spring 2026, we look forward to proudly sharing our complete Strategic Plan with the community.

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Faculty & Staff

At the heart of St. Mary’s is an extraordinary community of faculty and staff who bring our mission to life every day. Our faculty and staff do far more than deliver curriculum or manage programs. They build relationships, model integrity, and create learning environments where students are known, challenged, and supported. Through their work, our mission is lived daily—in classrooms, on playgrounds, in workshops and labs, and through countless moments of connection and mentorship.

Because our people are our greatest strength, we are deeply committed to investing in them. This includes ongoing professional learning, collaborative planning time, leadership development, and the resources needed to support both excellence and well-being. We strive to foster a culture where educators feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow—professionally and personally.

As we look ahead, our continued success depends on attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional faculty and staff who believe in our mission and are inspired to shape the next generation of globally minded leaders. We are grateful for their commitment and proud to invest in the people who make St. Mary’s what it is.

Professional Development

We believe that investing in our faculty is one of the most meaningful investments we can make in our school. This year alone, St. Mary’s supported more than 60 professional development experiences—both on campus and around the world—reflecting our deep commitment to continuous growth and excellence in teaching.

Head of School, Doug Patterson led a workshop on neurodivergent learning at the NAIS Annual Conference, the premier gathering for independent school educators.

This past summer, Dean of Academics Lauren Sterner and MYP Coordinator Jillian Auckland were selected to present at the IB Global Conference—the first time St. Mary’s has been represented at this prestigious international event. Their session highlighted St. Mary’s innovative, mission-aligned approach to assessment, further elevating our role as a leader in IB education. In addition, Ms. Auckland’s recent certification as an IB Educator Network Workshop Facilitator extends St. Mary’s influence well beyond our campus.

From local, national, and international learning experiences, our faculty engaged deeply in research, collaboration, and innovation—participating in programs such as NAIS Thrive, the IB Global Conference, the Kaleidoscope of Inquiry in Hong Kong, Reggio Emilia studies in Rome, and an IB Math Assessment workshop in Berlin. These opportunities reflect St. Mary’s intentional investment of time and resources in professional growth, grounded in the belief that when educators are learning, reflecting, and growing, our students benefit and our mission is brought to life in every classroom.

We intentionally dedicate time and resources to this work because when our educators are learning, reflecting, and growing, our students benefit—and our mission is brought to life in every classroom.

Finance

Our Board of Trustees and leadership team work diligently to ensure the long term health of St. Mary’s. The following metrics indicate our fiscal health and strength.

Advancement

Purposeful Growth. Thoughtful Stewardship. Strong Community.

St. Mary’s continues to move forward with clarity and intention. Over the past year, our Advancement efforts—campus investment, enrollment, and community engagement—have focused on one goal: ensuring every student benefits from a strong, future-ready educational experience.

As we complete the Design The Future campaign and welcome new families, we remain committed to responsible planning and stewardship. The progress across campus reflects years of thoughtful preparation and a shared belief in the enduring value of a St. Mary’s education.

Design The Future

From Vision to Reality

The opening of The Sillers Center marks a major milestone in the Design The Future campaign. Now fully integrated into daily life at St. Mary’s, these purpose-built spaces support teaching, learning, and connection across all grade levels.

Serving students from Early Education through Middle School, the Center fosters creativity, collaboration, and hands-on exploration while strengthening our IB and Design Thinking programs. Families are also enjoying new spaces to gather and engage. Designed to enhance the educational experience—not increase enrollment—The Sillers Center reflects a long-term investment in how students learn and will serve the St. Mary’s community for decades to come.

Ribbon-Cutting & Grand Opening Events

In August, 350 Design The Future donors gathered for a ribbon-cutting that celebrated the opening of The Sillers Center and the start of a new chapter at St. Mary’s. These spaces were created to inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation. On September 5, the community came together for the Grand Opening of The Sillers Center and Floriani Family Park. With remarks from Head of School Doug Patterson, tours, and celebratory treats, the event was a joyful success.

Philanthropy at St. Mary’s

At St. Mary’s, innovation is the force that propels our World-Class Minds, driving us to continually enhance programs and seek new ways to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. Our steadfast community and values are what nurture our World-Sized Hearts, grounding our students in empathy and character.

Your participation is the catalyst that turns our mission and vision into a reality. By bridging the gap between tuition and the true cost of an exceptional education, you allow us to invest in the incredible faculty and forward-thinking opportunities that define the St. Mary's experience. It is a partnership that ensures we can fully realize our mission, today and for the future.

422
donors supported THE
St. mary's fund

49%
St. Mary's Families donated to the fund

100% faculty & staff donated to the fund

$800,000+
raised
THUS far...

Scholar Program

At St. Mary’s, we believe a single opportunity can transform a life. Thanks to your generosity, the Scholar Program continues to open doors for deserving students and their families, giving them access to a St. Mary’s education and a community that sees their full potential. Your investment in the Scholar Program creates hope for these remarkable Middle School students, their families and for our entire school community.

$35,000 raised for scholar program this school year

9 scholars impacted by program to-date

4 scholar students enrolled@ St. mary's
5 scholar Alumni

Admission

Strong Demand, Thoughtful Enrollment

St. Mary’s continues to experience strong, record-breaking interest and application volume. While last year’s admission season took place amid construction, this year we are thrilled to welcome prospective families into our completed campus and showcase the full impact of our new learning environments. On-campus Information Sessions throughout the fall have been a highlight, offering families an authentic and immersive experience of St. Mary’s today, including a welcome from student ambassadors, snacks and refreshments, a presentation from school leadership, Middle School student speakers, and interactive tours of the new Sillers Center and reimagined outdoor spaces.

These visits allow families to see our Portrait of a Graduate in action. Prospective parents and students experience firsthand how our academic program, IB and Design Thinking framework, exceptional faculty, and new spaces come together to foster creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and purpose-driven learning. Families are drawn to St. Mary’s academic strength, sense of community, and the visible campus transformation, and we are excited to welcome a strong group of new students and families aligned with our mission and vision for the future.

720
Currently enrolled Students

424 families

94% Re-enrollment
retention rate

72 CAMPUS TOURS &
4 INFORMATION SESSIONS
HELD

340
APPLICATIONS 2025-2026

47% ACCEPTANCE
rate

665
inquiries

71% ENROLLMENT/ YIELD RATE

PTF & Engagement

From milestone celebrations to meaningful moments of connection, community engagement remains at the heart of the St. Mary’s experience.