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High School

Rhetoric Stage- Grades 9-12

Our Classical High School is Now Accredited!

Our Vision

In 2020, St. Monica Catholic School initiated a small, unaccredited high school pilot program to meet the needs of families who desired a Catholic, classical, Liberal Arts curriculum that moved beyond the Grammar (lower school and Logic stage (middle school) into the Rhetoric stage (high school). 

Through intellectual and spiritual friendship with fellow classmates and faculty mentors, students explore universal, human questions from the Western Intellectual Tradition that have occupied Catholic thought and culture for two millennia. We seek to help families form young people who seek virtue and love all that is true, good, and beautiful.  This pursuit should yield happy lives which experience true joy and delight.

During its first three years of existence, St. Monica High School has operated as a pilot program under the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and a homeschool extension under Washington State law. We were granted canonical status in the Spring of 2023 and are now accredited with the Western Catholic Education Association. We’re excited to continue to grow the mission of educating high school students in the eternal verities, guided by the wisdom of the Catholic Church!

Classical Education

The recent revival of classical education is an attempt to return to the rich methods and timeless content of the Seven Liberal Arts as manifest within the Catholic, Western Intellectual Tradition. Emphasis is placed upon fine things, such as great works of literature, beautiful music and paintings, the integration of knowledge across disciplines upon the idea of the good, cultivating a sacramental imagination, and providing space for contemplation and leisure.

At St. Monica, our students read primary source materials, explore and refine their thought in frequent Socratic seminars, as well as evaluate diverse visions of the good life by comparison to the Magisterium. St. Monica is a member of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, a network of Catholic classical schools across the nation.

Schedule & Descriptions 2023-2024

Click the tabs below for the St. Monica High School curriculum overview, current schedule and course descriptions. The 2023-2024 schedule will follow the Modern Year course plan.

Faith life

In addition to formal coursework in Catholic theology and spirituality, students participate in the faith life of the larger St. Monica Catholic School by attending Mass each Friday and Eucharistic Adoration on the first Monday of each month. Students and families are encouraged to attend daily Mass at the parish before school Monday through Thursday. This year, we added a service-learning component and retreat experience.

Class size

Our high school currently enrolls 10 students per class grade. Our enrollment will not exceed 12 students per grade (or 48 students total) in order to facilitate the kind of intellectual friendship necessary for classical conversations.

Extracurricular activities

The social atmosphere at St. Monica resembles that of a family. In lieu of conventional offerings such as prom, or student government, our school parents have organized gatherings that support students’ friendship in Christ and maturity as young men and women. These include weekly picnics, a pumpkin-carving evening, a Christmas party, service projects, and an Easter celebration. As we grow, we hope to offer extracurriculars such as theater, choir, and debate.

Athletics

Our present size precludes organized sporting activities. However, under WIAA policy, students are able to compete for their local public high school in any sport of their choosing. If the program were to grow to capacity (48 students), we would then explore fielding small teams or partnering with other independent Mercer Island high schools to do so.

Tuition

Tuition for St. Monica Catholic High School for the 2023-2024 school year is $15,100. Tuition increases approximately 5% per year. This is considerably lower than the existing Catholic high schools in the Seattle area, where tuition ranges from $18,275 to $39,500. We do have tuition assistance available and try to make St. Monica High School accessible for all families. No exam required.

Tuition and Fees

Admission Dates

Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 6:00 PM
Sunday, January 28, 2024, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Catholic High School Information Night
Learn about the Seattle area Catholic high schools through this virtual event. Register here.

Applications Open for the 2024-2025 school year: September 25, 2023
Applications Due ($150) for the 2024-2025 school year: January 4, 2024
Tuition Assistance Application Due: January 4, 2024
Acceptance Notification: February 15, 2024
Registration Fee ($250) Due: February 29, 2024
Final Transcript Due: June 30, 2024

APPLY NOW

Contact

For information regarding curriculum and program development, please contact Marybeth Bohm, Principal at mbohm@stmonicasea.org or Brett Bertucio, Vice Principal, at bbertucio@stmonicasea.org.

For information and inquiries regarding application and enrollment, please contact Jamie North, Advancement Director, at jnorth@stmonicasea.org. 

SCHEDULE A TOUR
 

Schedule & Descriptions

Parent Perspectives
A few thoughts from some of our current parents:
 
“We are so grateful to be in our second year at Saint Monica Academy! Our son is engaged and challenged in his studies, and has a strong bond with his fellow classmates. The teachers are brilliant and care wholeheartedly about the students, encouraging them to grow in virtue on a daily basis. SMA is a blessing to us and fills a unique need in the diocese for a Catholic classical high school program.”
 
“We’ve had the privilege of having our oldest children attend St Monica Academy and they were beautifully inspired by the teachers, the materials and the environment. We have two children currently enrolled, and we are grateful for the continued opportunity for them to learn and be challenged by an authentic Catholic vision of the human person through the beauty of a classical curriculum approach. There is no other institution offering this unique approach in the Seattle area, and we look forward to the rest of our children benefiting from the awesome work that St Monica Academy is undertaking.”
 
“SMA has been a game changer for us. I wanted a classical Catholic education for my daughter and could find nothing within the area. Previously my daughter went to a public school and the difference in safety, inclusion, Christ centered teaching and the level of learning has been phenomenal. There is nothing like it in the area if you want an exceptional education centered on Christ!”