Why Mercy
Why should you become a Mercy Girl?
A Mercy education prepares girls to lead lives of confidence, leadership, and compassion. Ask any alumna - Mercy Girls are sisters for life, and they credit their multitude of successes to their years at Mercy.
So, why should you become a Mercy Girl?
Our rigorous, college preparatory curriculum prepares students to write and communicate ideas confidently, think critically about global issues, and give the gift of their strong leadership to the world.
Mercy stands as the only Catholic girls' school in Baltimore authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, offering the Middle Years Programme. Widely considered the world’s premier academic program, the IB aligns with our commitment to fostering connections between student learning in the classroom and the real world.
Mercy also offers ten Signature Academic Programs. Girls who have a special interest in science, medicine, technology, law and social justice, dance, or visual arts or who want to challenge themselves academically or are looking for a highly personalized program to support learning differences or language-based learning disabilities, can explore Mercy’s unique opportunities through Signature Academic Programs.
Mercy also offers students the chance to earn college credit through AP courses and through dual credit classes with Anne Arundel Community College and Notre Dame of Maryland University.
Mercy’s small community and focus on each student’s individual goals and gifts mean that every student is given plenty of personal attention and guidance throughout her years here. Mercy's Adviser Program pairs each student with a faculty member for all four years, creating a special relationship with students and their families. Advisers meet with their students every day, get to know the students and their families, see all report cards, come to know a student’s strengths, and can advise her on what she needs to improve.
This attention to the individual is also a key component of the four-year Seminar Program, which bolsters study skills and supports the college search process. It includes a focus on college and career planning that is sensitive to the particular gifts and needs of each student. With a detailed roadmap from our Student Services Team, students and their parents navigate the college selection process—learning how to choose a college, how to think about future majors and careers, and how to access scholarships and financial aid.
A Mercy education is firmly grounded in the Catholic tradition and the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy and their founder, Catherine McAuley.
Catherine was a strong female leader who was devoted to the Catholic values of education, concern for the poor, compassion for the world, and service to community. The Sisters of Mercy envision a just world for people who are poor, sick, and uneducated. In addition to the three vows (poverty, chastity, and obedience) all Catholic sisters take, Sisters of Mercy also take a fourth vow of service.
At Mercy High School, we are committed to service, along with hospitality, justice, excellence, and compassion. We are proud to carry forward the extraordinary legacy of Mercy education in Baltimore, which began at Mount Saint Agnes in 1867. Our Catholic Identity is found in curricular offerings, prayer and liturgical life, retreats, and service opportunities and is strengthened by our global connections to the Sisters of Mercy, to 196 secondary schools around the world, and to the Mercy Education System of the Americas, which unites and serves schools to nurture highly competent and deeply compassionate leaders ready to serve a vulnerable world.
Our devotion to God ensures that students leave Mercy ready to make a positive contribution to the world and live out Catherine’s legacy for others.
Mercy traditions aren’t about preserving the past, they’re about creating the future. Starting with the Big Sister/Little Sister program, nurturing relationships are created, allowing for student-to-student support and mentorship opportunities. Traditions like Freshman Welcome Day, Sophomore Pin Day, Mercy Day/Ring Day, and Field Day celebrate milestones both big and small and unite current students with a network of over 8,000 Mercy alumnae.
Mercy fields 19 teams across 12 different sports, giving girls myriad opportunities to participate in high school athletics, and the athletics program is growing: varsity tennis is now a full-fledged member of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) “B” conference, there are freshman teams in soccer and volleyball, and Mercy is one of only four schools in the IAAM offering JV softball. The Magic also rose to new IAAM conferences in 2022: varsity cross country moved up to the “B” conference, and varsity basketball, varsity softball, and varsity lacrosse are now in the “A” conference.