Mount de Sales Academy

School Type: Private Catholic

Accreditation: AIMS, Middle States Association

Founded: 1852

Ages/Grades: 9-12

School Schedule: 7:45 AM to 2:40 PM

School Size: 465

Classroom Size: 16

Student/Teacher Ratio: 10:1

Curriculum:

https://www.mountdesalesacademy.org/academics/curriculum

Percentage of Graduating Class: 100%

Camp Programs: Yes

Summer School: No

After School Programs: Yes

Notable Graduates/Alumni:

Juliette Whittaker '22 and Bella Whittaker '20 participated in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Audrey Powers '94 went on a space expedition with Blue Origin

Admissions Requirements:

https://www.mountdesalesacademy.org/admissions/apply

Admissions Deadline: December 19, 2025

Mission Statement:

Centered on Jesus Christ and faithful to the teaching of the Catholic Church, Mount de Sales Academy offers young women a college preparatory education that promotes flourishing of the whole person. Anchored in faith and rooted in the Visitation and Dominican traditions, the community of Mount de Sales Academy is committed to academic excellence, virtuous integrity, compassionate service, and the inherent dignity of the human person.

Philosophy/Belief Statement: Catholic Faith We believe in and are faithful to the teachings of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as proclaimed by the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. We believe that learning and living the Catholic faith and participating in its liturgical and sacramental life is the center of the mission, life, daily activities and the family of Mount de Sales Academy. We believe in the value of serving the Lord by serving others through Christian outreach. We believe in the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death and are committed to defending, protecting, and valuing all human life. We believe in and promote the understanding of the human person as proclaimed by the Catechism and Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. We believe in and promote the understanding of marriage and human sexuality as proclaimed by the Catechism and Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. We believe that the sense of family and unity which exists at Mount de Sales Academy has its source in the Communion of Saints and reflects that same Communion. Academic Excellence We believe that the parents are the primary educators of their children and that the faculty and staff are privileged to share in the parents' mission of formation. We believe in educating the whole student - spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically, and socially - in order for her to reach her full potential. We believe that students grow best in an academic environment that supports, challenges, and nurtures each student to be a lifelong learner, to think critically, and to be aware of and develop her God-given talents. We believe that any achievement, academic or otherwise, is rooted in virtue. We believe in the importance of academic excellence and provide a broad curriculum that allows each student to excel at a level supporting her academic abilities. Community + Leadership We believe that the foundation received at Mount de Sales Academy results in young women who will exercise responsible citizenship and who will be witnesses of faith to the world. We believe in a sense of family within the school that fosters lifelong commitment to the values of the Mount de Sales tradition. We believe in providing leadership and service opportunities for students, challenging them to reach their potential and to make positive contributions to the Mount de Sales Academy community and to the community at large. We believe traditions foster school unity, create meaningful memories, and are an integral part of the Mount de Sales Academy experience.

School History: In 1852 Mount de Sales was founded for the education of young women by a group of Visitation nuns from Georgetown. The first Catholic institution in Baltimore County to offer education to young women of all denominations, Mount de Sales’ earliest students represented nearly all states, as well as several European and Latin American countries. The school was set in the pastoral landscape of Catonsville, at that time home to many summer residences of well-to-do Baltimoreans. Even St. John Neumann once visited the school. As Mount de Sales gradually became more day than boarding school, boarding was discontinued in 1932. Although they did enter the classroom to teach, the Visitation nuns remained cloistered over the years, and traces of the original grilles, turnstiles, cloister garden, and convent sleeping quarters are still very much in evidence around the school today. In fact, in 1986 the building was added to the Maryland Historic Register. In 1979, when the Visitation nuns could no longer continue at the school, a dedicated lay Board of Trustees was assembled with the goal of maintaining and growing Mount de Sales Academy. They wanted a group of religious sisters dedicated to Catholic education to continue at the Academy, and in 1985, the Dominican Sisters of the Saint Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, responded to the call and took up residence in the historic Gate House. The Pistorio Sports Complex was added to the campus in 1998 and the old Infirmary, which now houses the development office, was renovated in 2001. Since 1985, the school’s enrollment has increased close to 170%. Almost 45% of the Academy’s living graduates are under the age of 30. Now the Dominican Sisters reside at the new Mount de Sales convent, which was completed in the Spring of 2011.

Programs and Services:

Mount de Sales provides a transformative experience, empowering girls to live their Catholic faith and become confident, compassionate, and resilient leaders within a strong academic program. Rooted in Catholic values, MDSA offers opportunities for service, prayer, worship, and the sacraments. The philosophy curriculum engages in relevant topics and trains students to approach current issues with sound reasoning.

Clubs encourage fun, passion, and career exploration; service puts faith into action; and cherished traditions foster Sailor Sisterhood. Athletics enriches student life with 22 varsity and JV teams, earning 11 IAAM championships in six years.