About Us

The mission of St. Mary School is to provide the children of St. Mary's parish family with a firm foundation in the Catholic faith, traditions, and moral values; and to prepare them to become well-educated Catholic adults who will provide leadership and service within the church and society in the 21st century.

Our school is a vital and valued ministry within the evangelizing mission of St. Mary's Parish of Riverside and its neighboring suburbs, and of the global Catholic community. Believing that each student is a child of God, St. Mary School challenges each to achieve academic excellence, to embrace the gospel message, and to make a difference in the world through Christian witness, service, and leadership.

In cooperation with the parish community and in partnership with the parents and / or guardians of our students, we at St. Mary School are committed to provide the children of our school with a firm foundation in the values, traditions, and beliefs of the Catholic Church. With this as our foundation, we strive to develop each student's individual skills and abilities in many areas: spiritual, academic, artistic, interpersonal and technological.

Because we believe that children learn in different ways, we employ various teaching methods, styles, techniques, and strategies to meet the developmental and ability levels of our students. Furthermore, we believe that children learn from the example of faculty, staff and administration, who model Christian values of integrity, responsibility, honesty, courtesy, respect, concern, and forgiveness.

Our goals are academic and personal excellence. The faculty strives to foster in our students a sense of personal responsibility; provide quality instruction that will challenge students to think critically, solve problems creatively. communicate effectively; and, witness to interpersonal relationships based upon human dignity, mutual respect, love, concern and service. We expect our students to develop belief in God, in themselves and in others, and to develop their individual capacities into Christian habits of action and thought.

We at St. Mary School seek to graduate students who are responsible, educated Catholics prepared to meet the challenges of the future.

The academic program at St. Mary's has proven to be a winning combination as measured through test scores, high school acceptance rates, and future scholastic performance. We have a widely recognized, integrated computer education program and have received many technology awards. Our curriculum is progressive without conceding to the latest fad. There are opportunities to challenge high achievers, and extra help for those who need it. Daily religion classes form the cornerstone of our values-based education. There is intensive emphasis in core skills like reading and mathematics, handwriting and spelling. All classes from k-8 receive instruction in the fine arts and music, computer, science, social studies and physical education. Extracurricular programs include school band, violin, varsity sports, computer club and liturgical choir among others. 

Our parish community, one of the oldest in the Chicago area, began nearby with a little settlement in 1875. When the church was built on its present site in 1925, the parish had 165 families. Now, with more than ten times that number of families, generations of St. Mary students have enjoyed the warmth and support of our parish. Our pastor and staff strongly support the parish mission statement which places strong emphasis on Catholic education. The parish is an integral part of the historic Riverside community, and extends to neighboring communities as well. St. Mary's pastoral setting amidst the trees and greenery of Riverside encourages students to appreciate nature and the wonders of God's creation.