About Us

St. Mary’s International School was founded in 1954. It moved to its current location in Setagaya ward in 1971.

At St. Mary’s, we nurture the intellectual, physical, emotional and social development of each student. Our challenging array of core curricular and extra-curricular programs is designed to enable each student to achieve excellence and success. We provide a positive and safe learning environment, where a spirit of cooperation, friendship and mutual respect helps to maximize individual achievement.

The St. Mary’s experience goes from kindergarten to grade 12. We offer the International Baccalaureate course of studies (www.ibo.org), a globally recognized and rigorous pre-university program designed to give students the competitive edge they need for both university studies and their later careers.

St. Mary’s is fully accredited by two agencies that provide standards and procedures for school improvement: the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS). WASC is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges and universities in the United States and East Asia. CIS is a membership organization of international schools around the world.

The accrediting bodies’ protocol focuses on three driving ideas which urge the school to be:

• Mission-driven and vision-led (exemplified in our Guiding Statements)
• Focused on student learning and student well-being
• Committed to internationalism/interculturalism to foster global citizenship

Each five-year review helps to ensure that St. Mary’s continues to provide quality educational experiences for all students.

The accreditation process assures a school community that a school’s mission is appropriate and being accomplished through a viable education program. It validates the integrity of a school’s program and student transcripts.

The accreditation process also encourages the school to reflect on its strengths, as well as areas for improvement, then establishes and implements plans to help support high levels of achievement by students. Ongoing improvements to teaching and learning are made through peer visitor evaluations, regular self-assessment, planning, and implementation.

Please visit:

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (www.acswasc.org)
• Council of International Schools (www.cois.org)