Students entering St. Mary's Upper School (Grades 9-12) will be encouraged to plan their program for the period of four years in order to ensure that all requirements for graduation and college entrance are met. St. Mary's is committed to academic success. Below are a few important facts that support this commitment:

• St. Mary's requires a total of 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)
• St. Mary's knows that planning your college career is imperative to future academic success. 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.
• St. Mary's 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.
• St. Mary's School course curriculum is 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.
• St. Mary's provides ISA Testing in February of each year. Sophomores will complete the International Schools' Assessment (ISA) which offers schools a form of international benchmarking.
• 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.
• St. Mary's Sophomores participate in project Challenge 20/20. Together with a school in another country, St. Mary's students will 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.
• St. Mary's Juniors' will participate in their 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.
• St. Mary's Seniors' project is a 7 to 10 page paper reflecting on their community service experience. This paper will include researching and analyzing a related issue. There are both written and oral components to this project.