Admission

While we do not require coats and ties, we do expect our students to conform to a dress code best described as “business casual.” Additional details are listed below:

Academic Day:
Dress during the academic day (starting at 8:00 a.m.) must be neat, clean, and modest (business casual).  Pants/slacks, khaki/chino pants, corduroy pants or Bermuda-length dress shorts with crew neck sweater, collared shirt or turtleneck.

Blouse, shell sweater, or turtleneck with dress slacks, corduroy pants, khaki/chinos pants, dress, Bermuda-length dress shorts or a skirt. For dresses, shorts, and skirts, the length needs to be four inches below one’s fingertips. Sleeveless tops are acceptable, but not tops with narrow (i.e. spaghetti) or no straps. Tops must be long enough to meet the tops on one’s skirt or slacks without skin showing at the midriff and may not have any writing other than a logo. 

Shoes (including sneakers and sandals) must be worn on feet and closed-toe shoes must be worn for science labs. During the academic day, students may not wear sweatshirts other than official St. Mark’s sweatshirts. Students may not wear hats or head coverings, except for religious reasons. T-shirts, low-cut tops, visible underwear, blue denim, athletic clothing (including spandex, yoga pants, or sweatpants), pajamas, robes, and slippers are prohibited. Clothing may not be ripped, torn, stained or frayed. Underwear is not outerwear.

The class day dress code applies whenever classes are in session, regardless of whether a particular student has a scheduled class. Students are expected to be in proper dress during lunch and free periods until classes are over for everyone for the day.   In general, dress during the academic day should be neat, clean, modest, and in good repair. Students can expect to be told to change when they are wearing articles of clothing or a style of dress that fits the letter but not the spirit of the dress code.   As in any community, there are appropriate ways to dress for different occasions.

We expect students to understand and demonstrate this in the ways that they dress for class, chapel, and leisure activities. 

Chapel Dress:
A sport coat, blazer, or suit with collared dress shirt and tie or turtleneck, dress slacks, dress shoes, and socks. Shirts must be tucked in. Blazer or cardigan sweater with dress, or blazer or sweater with dress blouse, and appropriate skirt or dress slacks. Dress shoes. Low cut necklines that reveal cleavage or short skirts are inappropriate for chapel. Students may wear Bermuda shorts with a collared shirt, tie, blazer, shoes, and knee length socks. (Bermuda-style formal wear).

After Classes:
Dress must be clean, appropriate, and decent. In the dining room, shoes must be worn and hats may not be worn. Neither bare feet nor cleated shoes are allowed on the first floor of the Main Building, and underwear should never be visible. Slippers, pajamas, and robes may only be worn inside the houses.

Yes. Students are expected to work quietly in their rooms, at their desks, completing their homework Sunday evening through Friday evening from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Some students may be assigned a Faculty supervised study in a designated room during those same hours.

90% of the faculty live on-campus at St. Mark’s, so faculty members are available to help students throughout the day and while they are on evening duty in the dorms.

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. The Burnett House Lounge, part of the Center renovations in 2013, is available for day students to socialize and store their belongings. On the weekends, day students can participate in the full slate of activities and even spend Saturday night in a friend’s dorm room.

III and IV Form students are required to participate in an interscholastic sport in the fall, winter and spring. V Formers participate in an interscholastic sport for at least two seasons, while VI Formers participate in an interscholastic sport for at least one season. Please refer to the athletics section of our site for more information on the athletics program.

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. Select this link to learn more about student life.

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 includes: Weekly trips to the Natick 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, buses to Harvard Square and Copley Square, trips to golf driving ranges and bowling alleys, trips to Six Flags and inter-dorm competitions. Select this link to learn more about weekends at St. Mark's.

Each St. Mark’s faculty member serves as an advisor to a small number of students. Advisors meet with their students formally once a week, and informally throughout the day, to monitor their progress, give audience to their concerns, and guide them through the rigors, 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 at the end of their first year, most remain with that advisor for their St. Mark’s career.

The academic week extends from Monday through Saturday, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 3:05 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 7:30-9:30 p.m., Sunday through Friday. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, classes end at lunchtime to allow for athletic competitions.