FAQs

Mercy is located at 1300 E. Northern Parkway, between Loch Raven Boulevard and The Alameda.

Tuition and fees for the 2020-21 academic year are $16,275.

Yes. Scholarships are based solely on merit, and do not have a separate application. We will choose scholarship candidates based on their HSPT scores, grades, and other activities and invite them in for an additional interview in January. Scholarship candidates will be notified of grants and awards in their acceptance packages.

Financial aid may be applied for online. Financial aid awards are based on calculation of a family’s need. We do our best to meet the needs of all of our families with the limited resources we have. However, we expect that education will be a high priority in a family’s budget. 

Our enrollment for this year is 360 students total.

The average class size is 22-25 students.

The school day is from 7:55 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. 

Students may arrive at Mercy as early as 7:00 a.m. and stay as late as 5 p.m. If they need to stay later, a note must be on file with the Dean of Students.

There are many activities available at Mercy, and if we don’t have what you are looking for, we encourage you to start it! Just a few activities we offer include The Shield (student newspaper) and The Lance (literary magazine), computer club, cooking club, The Garnet (yearbook), creative writing, drama club, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Model Organization of American States (similar to Model United Nations), Student Council and Student Government, Dance Troupe, Pep Squad, vocal arts, and many more.

Mercy’s application for admission can be found online at https://mercyhighschool.schooladminonline.com/portal.

The High School Placement Test (HSPT), offered each December by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, is required for admission to Mercy. We also consider grades and standardized tests from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, as well as teacher recommendations.

A visit to Mercy (which includes a brief interview) is required for all applicants. The Admissions Office considers all materials submitted when evaluating a candidate. Potential students must show a solid academic background, interest in Mercy’s programs, and enthusiasm for joining the Mercy community.

The Mercy uniform is a white button-down shirt, plaid kilt, and a red blazer for formal occasions. Students may choose from a variety of uniform sweaters during colder weather, and may wear knee- or ankle-length socks in white or black, or opaque black tights or leggings. Shoes are an all-black buck oxford.

Uniforms are available at Flynn and O’Hara in Towson, and shoes may be purchased at many locations, though we recommend Van Dyke and Bacon on Northern Parkway, just down the road from Mercy.

100% of Mercy's graduates are accepted into college. The Class of 2018 received over $10 million in merit-based scholarship awards.

Fall: Cross Country, Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball (Tryouts for fall sports will be held the summer prior to the school year) 

Winter: Basketball, Cheerleading, Indoor Track, and Indoor Soccer

Spring: Lacrosse, Outdoor Track, Softball, Golf

Yes! AP courses available include Biology, Statistics, Calculus AB/BC, U.S. History, English Literature and Composition, Psychology, French or Spanish, Music Theory, Advanced Computer Topics, and Studio Art. There are opportunities for upperclassmen to earn dual credit for high school and college through online classes via Anne Arundel County Community College and Notre Dame of Maryland University.

Yes! All students will receive a thorough background in science and mathematics thanks to our state-of-the-art labs and rigorous curriculum. Students with special interests in science and/or medical fields may be interested in applying for our Women in Medicine in partnership with Mercy Medical Center, Women in Technology, The Sister Agnese Neumann Scholars Program in partnership with MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, or Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences programs, which offer students in-depth experiences in medicine, information technology, and biomedical science. All of these programs require an additional application.

Yes! Mercy’s four-year Visual Arts Program is for students with serious interest in developing their artistic skills, and in potentially pursuing the visual arts (such as painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.) in college or in their future career.
The sequence of classes is designed to prepare students to create a varied portfolio to be submitted for Advanced Placement Studio Art credit in the senior year. Art students at Mercy explore the elements, principles, and history of art, develop their observational, creative and critical skills, and learn to work in a variety of media—pencils, charcoal, clay, acrylics, tempera, watercolor, and more. Mercy’s visual artists have gone on to exceptional careers as professional painters, art instructors, graphic designers, and fashion designers. 

Mercy also has its very own Dance Troupe, which is for serious students of dance who are continuing to develop their performance skills and perfect their technique.

The Mercy Dance Troupe is selected by audition in the second semester of the 8th grade or in the fall of every year while at Mercy. Dance Troupe earns academic credit, while exploring the genres of ballet, modern dance, and jazz dance, and performing several times during the year both within and outside the school community. In addition to the Dance Troupe program, is Dance Apprentice, which offers a basic dance program in ballet, modern, and jazz with the purpose of building beginning dance skills. Invitations to Dance Apprentice will be sent after Dance Troupe auditions

All of these programs require an additional application.

New this year, Mercy has established the Law and Social Action Program. The Law and Social Action program provides students with opportunities to evaluate how interdependence, as well as political, legal, social and economic change, affect all communities, with a focus on both globalization and sustainable development. A study of social change through governance, social and legal policy, and justice provides students with an understanding of both individual and systemic power; she will be encouraged to engage in innovative, responsible action. The Law and Social Action program requires an additional application.

Absolutely! Mercy welcomes students of all backgrounds and traditions. Our mission reflects the values of the Sisters of Mercy and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Our religious education curriculum is a four-year requirement for all students that covers Church history, ethics, and social and moral responsibility, and encourages each student to grow in her relationship with God.