Academics
| Inspiring the Mind |
  "Bringing the person and teachings of Jesus Christ to this time and place through a holistic and nurturing educational experience." -SMCHS Mission |
At Santa Margarita Catholic High School we seek to inspire our students with a thirst for knowledge, a passion for academic inquiry, and a desire to broaden their horizons by seeking out new areas of study. As our global world changes, so must the education of our students. Therefore, in order to best meet the needs of the students attending SMCHS, the curriculum is ever changing. SMCHS hires only faculty who are experts in their subject matter and who have appropriate credentials and degrees to teach our highly academic curriculum.
Our schedule spans seven periods, with six classes a day offering students a depth to their curriculum that combines academic courses with performing and visual arts courses.
A breadth of courses in ten disciplines offers students the ability to tailor a program that fits their individual strengths.
- SMCHS offers a multi-layered curriculum with over 30 Honors courses.
- Five different language programs are offered: Spanish, French, Chinese, Greek and Latin.
- 17 Advanced Placement courses are offered. In 2008, 123 students were named AP Scholars, more than any other private high school in Southern California.
- International Baccalaureate Programme for juniors and seniors. SMCHS is the only Catholic high school in Orange County to offer the prestigious IB Programme.
- Interdisciplinary Triad Program for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors which emphasizes hand-on learning and connects subject matter between various disciplines.
- Auxiliary Studies Program for students with mild learning differences.
