St. Mary Catholic Central High School

St. Mary Catholic Central High School is a private, co-educational, Catholic secondary school serving the communities of the Monroe County and the southern Downriver area.
The school serves as an extension of the educational ministry of the Catholic Church which continues the teaching mission of Jesus.
SMCC offers the student a challenging college preparatory program that prepares the student spiritually, academically, physically, and socially for a full, loving, Gospel-centered adult life.  SMCC ~ Living Faith, Gaining Knowledge, Serving Others.

Quick Stats (2024)

  • Top Ranked MI School
  • Grades: 9-12
  • Enrollment: 338 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $10,450
  • Acceptance rate: 99%
  • Average class size: 17 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

Top Rankings

St. Mary Catholic Central High School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Michigan for:

Category
Attribute
Sports offered

School Overview

Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades 9-12
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Learning Difference Programs
Yes
Learning Programs Supported
Austism spectrum/Mild to Moderate Learning Differences/Auditory and Visual/Dyslexia/Downs Syndrome
Year Founded
1986
Summer School Offered
Yes

Student Body

Total Students
338 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
9%
State avg.: 19%
Students by Grade
St. Mary Catholic Central High School Student By Grade

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers
27 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
13:1
National avg.: 13:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
65%
Average Class Size
17 students
Number of AP Courses
12 courses
List of Courses Offered
Advanced Courses
AP Art History*, AP Biology*, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC*, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science*, AP English Literature and Comp, AP English Literature and Comp*, AP Macroeconomics*, AP Microeconomics*, AP US Government and Politics*, AP US History, AP World History*
Average ACT score
24
Matriculation DataMatric. Data
Classroom Dress Code
Formal
Uniform polo or oxford, khaki pants (young men), plaid skirts (young women), Sperry shoes

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Yearly Tuition Cost
Tuition Notes
65% of families receive financial aid totaling over $1.2million. Average family pays $6800 per student.
% on Financial Aid
65%
Average Financial Aid Grant
$3,800
Acceptance Rate
99%
National avg.: 85%
Admissions Director
Brittney Calender
Endowment Size
$5 million

Sports

Extracurriculars

Total ExtracurricularsTotal Extra-curric.
13 extracurriculars
ExtracurricularsExtra-curric.
Club or Organization:
French Club, Geek Squad, Interact Club, Mock Trial Team, National Honors Society, Respect Life Club, Spanish Club, SPLT - Student Prevention Leadership Team, Student Council

Arts and Music Programs:
Liturgical Choir, Musical Theatre Production, Vocal Ensemble

Recreational Athletic Programs:
Intramural basketball and volleyball

School Notes

  • Building on the charism of our founders, St. Mary Catholic Central High School is a Christ-centered learning community forming lives in a tradition of faithfulness to the Gospel, educational excellence, and service to others.
  • St. Mary Catholic Central High School is a heritage school formed from the 1986 merger of St. Mary Academy and Monroe Catholic Central. SMCC continues the church`s educational tradition in Monroe that began when the Sister`s Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary founded St. Mary Academy in 1846. The Brothers of Holy Cross came to Monroe in 1944 to staff Monroe Catholic Central, a new all boys Catholic secondary school established by the Archdiocese and several local parishes. SMCC exists as one of 1,200 Catholic high schools in the United States and one of 24 Catholic secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Its 340 students are part of the nearly 600,000 students educated in Catholic secondary schools this year and part of the over 2.3 million students educated in all Catholic sponsored elementary and secondary institutions nationally. The National Catholic Education Association estimates that, annually, Catholic schools provide the country with a $21 billion savings in educational expenditures.
  • Today, SMCC is considered a Vicariate-sponsored high school. The Vicariate of Monroe, which is contiguous with Monroe County borders, has fourteen parishes and five Catholic elementary schools. SMCC has students representing all fourteen parishes. The school is the only Catholic secondary institution in the Vicariate. Further, it is one of only three non-public high schools in Monroe County. Among the current student body, 68% come from Catholic elementary schools in the Monroe Vicariate or from surrounding communities in Huron Township, Downriver Detroit or Toledo. The remaining 32% comes from local public middle schools, one of three area local Lutheran elementary schools, a public charter school, the local Montessori school, or from homeschooling.
  • SMCC serves the educational needs of young men and women of diverse religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The school is an extension of the educational ministry of the Roman Catholic Church which continues the teaching mission of Jesus. Approximately 80% of SMCC students identify themselves as Roman Catholic. The remaining twenty percent of the population is comprised of Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Non-denominational Christian, Greek Orthodox, or Hindu. SMCC teaches Roman Catholic theology in accordance with the precepts of the Catholic Church, utilizing the theology curriculum for secondary schools that was approved by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011. It seeks to enable all of its students to understand more clearly and apply the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church. SMCC promotes an understanding of Gospel values and their application to everyday life, realizing one's relationship to an ever changing global society.
  • SMCC believes in the importance of being a vital and concerned member of the community through prayer, discipline, and responsiveness to the needs of the local community. A student's faith and spiritual formation is further developed through the school's efforts in the area of prayer, retreats, and service through its Campus Ministry program. SMCC students pray together twice each school day, first during homeroom with intentions, a Scripture passage and a Saint of the Day reading and again through a silent and reflective prayer at the beginning of the class period of the day. In addition, many teachers begin each of their classes with their own brief centering prayer. The Practicing Spirituality class conducts frequent Morning Prayer services focused around topics pertinent to the life of a young adult of faith in our increasingly secular culture. In 2010, the school was blessed to have Archbishop Allen Vigneron on hand to dedicate the beautiful Chapel of the Infant Jesus of Prague. This sacred space serves as the heart of the school's campus. Theology classes frequently use the space for class lectures and discussions. During the seasons of Advent and Lent, weekly Mass is offered in the Chapel and is open to all students, parents, and guests. In addition to all of these opportunities to pray as a community, the student body and staff gather at least once a month at St. Mary's Parish, next door, as community to share in an all-school liturgy. Each year while enrolled at SMCC, students are required to attend a day or overnight retreat. These sacred times of prayer and reflection assist students in reflecting on; 1) what it means to live in a Christian community, 2) God's gift of human sexuality and our proper response to this gift, 3) the need to ask for and offer forgiveness and healing in our relationships with others, and 4) the call as young adults to make faith a central part of one's life as they transition into full adulthood. SMCC students contribute tens of thousands of hours of community service through our Christian Service and Campus Ministry programs each year.
  • SMCC seeks to instill service as a "habit of the heart" in its students and staff. Students volunteer at hundreds of school and community events in an attempt to live out the Catholic Church's social teachings. Annual mission trips to Appalachia and Guatemala complement the faith development found in daily prayer, Theology classes, and liturgical services and offer students an extended and intense experience of living a "Me Third" attitude in service to God and others.
  • SMCC is fully accredited through the AdvancedED - the North Central Association. The school offers students a challenging college preparatory program that develops students spiritually, academically, morally, physically, and socially for a full, loving, Gospel-centered adult life. Three levels of college preparatory curriculum are offered: Honors/AP, College Prep, and Concepts. Honors/AP classes challenge the strongest students with work aimed at preparing them for admittance into highly selective four-year universities. College Prep courses prepare our students academically for a variety of collegiate programs. Concepts classes are taught at a slower pace than most classes, offering special assistance in areas of individualized need, yet still prepare graduates to attend college after graduation.
  • In 2016, SMCC expanded its support for students strugglin with mild to moderate learning challenges by establisihing the Academic Support Services Center. Dedicated staff, trained in Special Education, provide one on one support to students with IEPs through Structured Study Halls and a variety of intervention techniques.
  • In 2018, the school expanded its services once again to students with learning challenges when it established the St. Andre Besette Open Doors Inclusion Program. The Besette Program works with students with moderate to severe learning challenges welcoming individuals with Downs Syndrome, significant Autism spectrum disorders or other learning challeges. The Director of Inclusion works with student Peer Mentors in assisting students toward a Certificate of Completion in providing a Catholic secondary educational environment for students.
  • SMCC has been on the cutting edge of educational technology for many years. In 2012, after two years of research, a significant investment in its technology infrastructure, and substantial time spent training its teaching staff; SMCC began transforming its teaching and learning environment through the incorporation of Apple`s iPad technology. Each student carries his or her own personal iPad device. The iPad provides an on-demand internet connection for research, and offers access to Apple`s immense catalog of educational applications. SMCC also became one of the first schools in the nation to fully implement the use of digital textbooks in place of traditional hardcover or softcover texts.
  • The school has 25 faculty members, four administrators, 10 full and part-time student service staff members, and 10 full and-part time support staff. Together, they have a combined 410 years of service to SMCC and over 540 total years of experience in education.
  • SMCC offered over $1,100,000 in tuition assistance to over 65% of its students for the 2018-2019 school year with grants ranging from $500 to 70% of tuition. In addition, SMCC offers renewable academic scholarships of $500 to $5000 to incoming freshmen who score in the top 20% nationally on the High School Placement Test.
  • Extracurricular activities include Student Council, Interact, National Honor Society, Mock Trial, French and Spanish Honor Societies, Cultural Culinary Club, music, drama, and athletics. SMCC offers 35 athletic teams in 20 sports. More than 85% of the current student body will earn at least one varsity letter while attending SMCC. Falcon and Kestrel teams have recently won league, district, or regional, championships in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling. The "Home of Champions" has also claimed 14 Michigan High School Athletic Association State Championships, more than other local school.
  • 100% of SMCC graduates are accepted into college. They go on to attend such diverse schools as the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Notre Dame, Harvard, Cornell, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Purdue University, Case Western, University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan Technological University, St. Mary`s College, Kalamazoo College, Adrian College, John Carroll University, Georgetown, Western Michigan University, University of Dayton, Ave Maria University, Monroe County Community College, and many others. The 73 members of Class of 2018 received over $8.2 million in college scholarship offers.
  • The school has over 12,000 alumni living in all fifty states and numerous other countries, representing a diverse range of occupations and employment.
Source: Verified school update

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does St. Mary Catholic Central High School cost?
St. Mary Catholic Central High School's tuition is approximately $10,450 for private students.
What is the acceptance rate of St. Mary Catholic Central High School?
The acceptance rate of St. Mary Catholic Central High School is 99%, which is higher than the national average of 93%.
What sports does St. Mary Catholic Central High School offer?
St. Mary Catholic Central High School offers 17 interscholastic sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cheering, Cross Country, Diving, Equestrian, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball and Wrestling. St. Mary Catholic Central High School is ranked as one of the top 20% of private schools in Michigan for most sports offered.
What is St. Mary Catholic Central High School's ranking?
St. Mary Catholic Central High School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Michigan for: Largest student body, Most sports offered and Most extracurriculars offered.
When is the application deadline for St. Mary Catholic Central High School?
The application deadline for St. Mary Catholic Central High School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).

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Quick Stats (2024)

  • Top Ranked MI School
  • Grades: 9-12
  • Enrollment: 338 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $10,450
  • Acceptance rate: 99%
  • Average class size: 17 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Michigan is $6,853 for elementary schools and $12,387 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
The average acceptance rate in Michigan is 93% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

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