St. Francis of Assisi  School

For more than half a century – drawing on the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi (SFA), rooted in the neighborhoods of Northeast Baltimore, envisioning a future even stronger than our past, St. Francis of Assisi School forms children for a life of scholarship, spirituality, and service.

Since 1955, the St. Francis of Assisi School has been successfully providing early childhood and elementary school education to students in Northeast Baltimore and outlying communities. Serving children ranging from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8, the school has a history of preparing children to attend the private or public high school of their choice.

Located within Northeast Baltimore’s Mayfield neighborhood, St Francis of Assisi School sits nestled between Herring Run Park and the Lake Montebello Reservoir. The school’s small size – in terms of both student population and facilities – creates a warm, caring, and comfortable setting for the students and their families. The SFA School is a vital part of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church community, and it has a proud history of offering a sound and inclusive environment focusing on the whole child.

• St. Francis was one of the first Catholic elementary schools to offer a 1:1 technology program. Currently we have multiple computers in every classroom. Technology is integrated throughout the curriculum.

• Our Middle School STEM Club and Design classes are enriched through the use of 3-D printers.

• Our learning extends beyond our campus into the 375 acres of woodlands of the adjacent Herring Run Park and the 1.3 mile fitness loop around nearby Lake Montebello.

• 65% of our staff members have sent their own children to Saint Francis.

• More than 45 heritage countries are represented in our school community.

• Our Athletic Association enrolls over 300 children from the school and neighboring communities.

• Daily mass is available for all members of the community.

• Our school is authorized to offer the widely-recognized International Baccalaureate Program to all Middle School students. This program helps students develop global awareness, habits of inquiry, and collaborative problem solving using the design process.

International Baccalaureate Program at St. Francis - August 2015

"Great news! We are proud to share with you some wonderful news.  After three years of preparation, Saint Francis of Assisi School has achieved full authorization as an International Baccalaureate World School offering the Middle Years Program.

What does this mean for this community?

For students, it means that we will emphasize a way of learning that creatively combines different subjects and emphasizes writing, questioning, collaboration, and other skills to meet the high standards of this well-regarded international organization.  In addition to the core academic subjects which you value so highly for your children at SFA, middle school students will be required to take courses in Art, Spanish, Physical Education, and Design, for a minimum of fifty hours per year.  For many schools, these are “extras,” but at St. Francis, they will be an integral part of the required middle school course of study.

For the school, it means that the rigorous curriculum of the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be implemented within the framework of the high standards called for by the IB mission.  The organization, which began in 1968, currently supports instruction in 4267 schools in more than 147 countries.  Here in Baltimore, St. Francis is the first non-public school to be authorized to offer the IB.  In adopting the IB brand alongside our own school’s logo, we are presenting a visual image that is familiar to families from around the world.

For the wider community, in Baltimore and beyond, it means that we are preparing students to be caring leaders in their neighborhoods and in the world.  The words of the IB capture this vision:

“The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world”(What is an IB Education, 2013)."