Founded in 1898 as a parish school affiliated with St. Mary's Church, St. Mary's is a Roman Catholic school serving students in grades preschool through eight.  While we are a parochial school of the Springfield Diocese, we welcome students of all religions to our enrollment.

We are located in East Central Illinois in the city of Paris, fifteen miles from the Indiana state line.

The purpose of St. Mary's School is to provide a comprehensive program based on best teaching practices and brain research related to learning.  Our goal is to create an environment with three strands:  climate, community and curriculum.  

CLIMATE:  We work at creating a non-threatening and spiritual climate.  In this environment the students learn and practice Lifeskills/Lifelong Guidelines as part of their character education.

COMMUNITY:  Children are taught that building and maintaining community through relationships, collaboration and communication create responsible citizens.  Behavior expectations are taught through literacy, learning clubs, and community circles.

CURRICULUM:  Our curriculum is designed to be meaningful and provide lifelong learning.  Children are provided first hand experiences that connect them to the real world.  Adequate time is given for practice and understanding skills and content.  Multiple means of instructing and assessing student progress is practiced.

St. Mary's School is fully accredited by the state of Illinois and staffs only certified teachers, who are dedicated to academic excellence.  We offer a supervised before/after school care program, participate in the Federal Hot Lunch Program, and provide bus service through the public school system.  In addition to academics, we offer full art and music programs, after school clubs, and sports for boys and girls.