About St. Mary's

St. Mary's Central High School is North Dakota's largest and oldest Catholic high school, with a rich history of educational excellence in the Bismarck-Mandan community.

In 1878, four sisters from the convent of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, arrived in Bismarck to staff what was then the St. Mary's Academy and Boarding School. In 1916, the first high school classes were offered and the spring of 1922 brought the first graduation at St. Mary's High School.

Today St. Mary's Central High School is home to 341 students in grades 9-12, offering high-quality academic instruction in a Catholic, Christian atmosphere. If you are interested in learning more about all that St. Mary's Central High School has to offer, please contact us.

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Our "Faith Journey" is an essential part of our life, which must be practiced daily. At St. Mary's we provide the experiences and the opportunities on a daily basis that can make a young person's journey successful.

In accordance with the Bishop's letter to Catholic Schools, St. Mary's Central High School strives to communicate the message, build Christian community, and engage in service.

We believe in communicating Catholic beliefs and traditions. Classroom content includes traditional as well as innovative, imaginative and challenging subject matter. The message is prophetic and supportive of our Gospel tradition. It is also interdisciplinary, or integrated into all areas of study. Faith is included in every aspect of the school.

SMCHS has many opportunities to build community, including celebration of the Eucharist, prayer services, reconciliation services, daily classroom prayers, motivational and spiritual speakers, pilgrimages, and community celebrations. Students are involved as spiritual day leaders, Eucharistic ministers, freshman unity day leaders, "Holy Daze" leaders and prayer leaders. Spiritual leadership is cross-curricular and extracurricular.

We provide our students with hands-on quality opportunities that reinforce social justice and love of neighbor. Service is incorporated into the everyday religion curriculum and the honor student requirements. Current opportunities include the Spirit of Life Soup Kitchen, Girl Power, respite care for multiple births, assistance for the disabled, pet care at the humane society, monthly support of $600 for 25 children in the "God's Child" project, elder assistance, Ronald McDonald House, daycare for Catholic parishes and conferences, SMCHS Carnival and others as the need arises. SMCHS students are involved in over 5,000 hours of community service annually.

We are called to St. Mary's to be formed in our Catholic beliefs and sent from St. Mary's to serve God's people. We strive to bring Christ to people and people to Christ.

For more information about SMCHS, contact us today.