Admission FAQ

Is there a dress code?

While we do not require coats and ties, we do expect our students to conform to a dress code best described as “neat casual.” No jeans are allowed, and boys must wear collared shirts. Girls can wear either dresses, skirts, or dress pants. Sneakers are allowed.

Is financial aid available?

Yes, please click here for more information regarding financial aid at St. Mark’s.

Are there scheduled study hours?

Yes. Faculty supervised evening study runs from Sunday evening through Friday evening from 8-10pm. Students typically work quietly in their rooms, at their desks, completing their homework.

How can I get extra help?

98% of the faculty live on-campus at St. Mark’s so faculty members are readily available throughout the day and into the evening to help students.

What is the day student experience at St. Mark’s?

While the majority of students live on campus, day students are an integral part of the school community. Given the breadth of academic and extracurricular opportunities available at St. Mark’s, every student, regardless of boarding status, can take full advantage of them. It is not a rare occurrence to see day students here on campus well into the evening hours, studying with a boarding friend in the library or running a club activity in Forbes Student Center. On the weekends, day students can participate in the full slate of activities and even spend Saturday night in a friend’s dorm room.

Are athletics required?

Third and Fourth Form students are required to participate in an interscholastic sport in the fall, winter and spring. Fifth formers participate in an interscholastic sport for at least two seasons, while Sixth formers participate in as interscholastic sport for at least one season.

What are clubs and activities like?

St. Mark’s boasts more than 30 student organizations that meet a full range of interests and passions. Students can involve themselves in drama, music, the school newspaper, or the St. Mark’s Society – the school’s community service group that sponsors a wide range of hands-on service opportunities. Social activities include dances both on campus and at neighboring schools, trips to the movies and mall, as well as, skiing, hiking and apple-picking excursions. Students can also take advantage of frequent cultural and social outings to Boston and the annual school trip to the New York Metropolitan Opera.

What happens on the weekends?

Whether you want to watch a movie with friends in your dorm room or crave a change of pace off campus, you’ll find something that fits your mood. A sample of weekend activities include: Weekly trips to the Natick Mall and Solomon Pond Mall where students can shop and catch a movie, dances both on-campus and at local independent schools, concerts and dramatic performances by students and visiting professionals both on and off campus, vans to Harvard Square and Copley Square, trips to golf driving ranges and bowling alleys, trips to Six Flags and inter-dorm competitions.

Tell me about the advising system.

Each St. Mark’s faculty member serves as an advisor to a small number of students and meets with them formally once a week, and informally throughout the day, to monitor their progress, give audience to their concerns, and guide them through the rigors and challenges, and expectations that go along with being a St. Marker. Students are assigned a particular advisor for their first year, and though they may choose another, most remain with that advisor for their St. Mark’s career.

What is St. Mark’s looking for in an applicant?

We look for students who are superior, not only academically, but also in integrity and maturity. Here, we believe that the measure of student achievement is more than grade point average. St. Markers are eager to try new things, experiment, and challenge themselves.

What is a typical day like?

The academic week extends from Monday through Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 2:35 p.m. Within the academic day, time is dedicated to music and arts instruction. Activities and athletics follow classes, and faculty supervised evening study hall runs from 8 to 10 p.m., Sunday through Friday. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, classes end at lunchtime to allow for athletic competitions.