St. Mary Interparochial School

St. Mary Interparochial School is a independent Catholic school in Center City, Philadelphia. The rich academic and historic heritage of St. Mary Interparochial School dates to the early days of Philadelphia, as Catholics and Protestants engaged in a spirited debate over educational practices. Founded in 1782 by the Jesuit fathers of old St. Joseph’s Church, St. Mary is known as “The Mother School of Catholic parochial education” and is credited with influencing catholic educational patterns in this country. Situated in Independence National Historical Park, St. Mary is within walking distance to several key sites pivotal to our nation’s founding, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Carpenter’s Hall, the First Bank and Washington Square, the location of the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier. St. Mary served children from the early days of Philadelphia for more than a century before closing in 1902 after a devastating fire. In 1969, the school was re-opened by the Sisters of Notre Dame to serve a growing and diverse population of young students from all parts of Philadelphia. The school’s historic associations extend to its parish churches as well. St. Mary was originally the official inter-parish school for Old St. Mary’s Church, Old St. Joseph’s Church and Holy Trinity Church; however, today it receives its unique and true inter-parochial status by receiving students from parishes citywide in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Dioceses of Camden and Trenton, NJ. Currently, we are a National Blue Ribbon school that serves over 37 zip codes within the Philadelphia area. St. Mary’s maintains a rigorous curriculum. Our students consistently achieve the highest standardized test scores among schools in our region, and qualify for placement in the area’s highest achieving schools. St. Mary alumni have gone on to distinguish themselves as scholars and citizens, making a difference in their communities and serving as role models for entire student body.

School Mission: St. Mary Interparochial School challenges its diverse student body to grow morally, academically and socially, into passionate, confident and Christ-centered leaders of the 21st century.