St. Mary’s School was founded in the pioneer mining town of Jacksonville, Oregon, in 1865 by three members of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and was known as St. Mary’s Academy. Operating as a twelve-year (the upper grades were limited to girls) boarding and day school, it served pioneer families in Southern Oregon and Northern California. St. Mary’s graduated its first student in 1871. St. Mary’s School teaches students to lead purposeful lives in service to others and is devot