St. Mary’s School follows the guidelines and academic standards provided by the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools. The school is designed for students from preschool through eighth grade, with attention to the development of the whole child, including promoting a love of learning. Students enter school with a wide range of abilities and varied progress, but all are encouraged to explore their skills in our academic and extracurricular programs.

The class curriculum is contained in each grade level from kindergarten through fourth grade, with departmentalization beginning in the fifth grade.

Classes are taught in a nurturing, supportive environment. There is a strong emphasis on faith development, and our Catholic identity is visible throughout the school, however and we recognize respectfully that many of our students come from different faith backgrounds. Students are encouraged to learn and practice the virtues of the Catholic faith, and to then live these values through community service and outreach programs.

Teachers use formal and informal assessments at all grade levels to drive instructional goals for continuous student advancement. The NWEA MAP Growth is used in first through eighth grade and is administered three times a year, while our early childhood program uses the ELQA for formal assessment in preschool and Kindergarten.