Academic Excellence

St. Mary Catholic School DeKalb is a private preschool, kindergarten, elementary school and junior high ​that builds a solid academic foundation for student's future success.

Our average student to teacher ratio is 20:1. When we ask parents why they continue to send their children to
St. Mary, the common themes are faith based, virtues, and academics. ​​Starting in grade three, our students
​take the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills each year. 

St. Mary Catholic School Iowa Tests of Basic Skills ​Spring 2023

Number = grade equivalent.
For example, 8th grade would have been expected to score 8.7 or 8th grade, 7th month. ​
The charts indicates the grade the student is in and the grade level they test in that subject. ​We are incredibly proud of how hard our teachers and students work to achieve this. 
​
​​In 2023, the “Composite Score” of all tests for our eighth grade is 10.6, or equivalent to a sophomore in highschool in their 6th month of school.  

Our academic focus areas

Little Lancers Preschool &
​Pre-kindergarten
​ ​Our Little Lancers program offers the perfect backdrop for encouraging progress at a child’s own pace while introducing important cognitive, social and language skills.

​Your child will work through play-based activities introducing math, science, dramatic play, music, art, Spanish and technology to provide opportunities to stimulate and encourage students while they get ready for Kindergarten.

  • Our 3 year old classroom has 10 students and is a three day a week program. 
  • ​Our 4 year old classroom has 15 students and has the option of three and five day a week.
Kindergarten
​The world of a kindergartner includes new friends, new experiences, and new learning opportunities. 
Our program offers a nurturing, creative, and academic environment for the younger student.  Through a balance of spiritual, social/emotional, physical, and academic means, each kindergartner is provided with developmentally appropriate surroundings to foster a high level of individual achievement. 
On a spiritual level, the program is strongly based on Catholic Christian values that are incorporated throughout the day. This encourages meaningful relationships with their peers while forming a strong relationship with God.
​
Academically, our SuperKids reading program provides a strong foundation in reading, writing, and oral language.  Our math program allows for a great introduction to many concepts and skills using a variety of manipulative materials. 
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A few highlights throughout the year include, arts & crafts, lots of movement activities including dancing and yoga, music, and a chicken embryology project which results in hatching baby chicks!   We end the year with a Kindergarten Graduation ceremony in our cafeteria.

Advanced Math

Students can qualify for advanced math starting in 5th grade. Students are selected based on test scores in both math and reading. Scores must be at least one full year above grade level, they should demonstrate excellent work habits and have their parent’s and teacher’s recommendation.

​Students in the program will take the math course a grade level above their own. In all advanced classes, we work at a faster pace, and there is more opportunity for enrichment projects. 

Spanish

At St. Mary School we have a passion for diversity and inclusion as evidence by our Spanish program.

​We start students learning from a young age in hopes to foster appreciation of the cultures where Spanish is spoken as well as for the language itself.
​
We focus on the four main skills of a language: listening, reading, speaking and writing as students learn through a differentiated approach that is age appropriate to each grade level and more importantly, each student’s ability.

Just as with learning their first language, students will not understand every word that is spoken, read, or heard, however the classes are designed to introduce and expose students to Spanish in a natural way that prepares them to attain an age-appropriate proficiency level as they develop an appreciation for the language and culture. 

Music 

Our students Preschool through 8th grade spend
1 - 2 days a week exploring music styles through song, dance and various instruments.

​We learn how to read music and count to the beat. As students progress, they also learn about the history of music and compose their own songs.  
​
Students also sing each week at our all school mass, perform in seasonal concerts as well as a school play. 

Explore our music program, concerts and musicals

Technology & S.T.E.M. Lab

Our school focuses on Google Suite for the academic portion of technology. Our students
in grades 2 - 8 have one-to-one Chromebooks.

​We teach Google Classroom, Gmail/email etiquette, and other google products that will help with papers, research projects, and presentations within their grades curriculum. This includes google slides, google sheets and google docs as well as folder structures for organization within google drive. 

Beyond classroom support, we want to ensure we build a S.T.E.M. curriculum that is fun too!
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Learn more about what we offer in our S.T.E.M. Lab

NIU Art Partnership

We partner with Northern Illinois University to provide our students with an art program. The NIU Art students create a curriculum through various mediums for all grades and teach them skills to express themselves through art.

​Twice a year, we host an art show open to families. We are always so impressed at how wonderful the displays turn out.