Since our founding, St. Thomas More School has enrolled students from around the globe and they continue to be an important part of our culturally, socio-economically and spiritually diverse student population. We are proud that students from over forty countries have graduated from St. Thomas More and gone on to success in American universities.

We have a highly successful English as a Second Language (ESL) program that welcomes students with limited English proficiency in addition to students approaching fluency. All international students with limited experience in English begin in our ESL 1 program where the primary goal is to build the skills necessary to join our mainstream classes. Students with stronger English skills study in our ESL II program and courses in the regular curriculum. An English proficiency test is administered twice each year to measure progress. To prepare for applications to universities, students in the 11th grade take the TOEFL once in the spring and then again in the fall of their 12th grade year.

Requirements for International Student Admission

St. Thomas More has a priority application deadline of February 1 for September admission and a rolling admission policy after that date based on space availability. Mid-year enrollment may be possible in many grades and is handled on a case by case basis - contact the Dean of Admission for more information.

Applying is easy using our online application which can be accessed here: Online Application
We also accept most common applications like the "Standard Application Online" or the TABS "Boarding Schools Admissions Application Form."

Here is a checklist for a complete application for international applicants:

• Online Application Form and application fee
• Parent's statement
• Transcripts for current and prior school year
• English and Math teacher recommendations
• Principal/Guidance Counselor recommendation
• Standardized test scores *
• Interview (in person, by phone or skype)
• Tour/campus visit (optional)
• English Proficiency test scores, (TOEFL iBt/Junior, Duolingo DET, SLEP or other recognized assessment
• Copy of passport
• Copy of Visa and I-20 if transferring from a school in the USA
• Official transcript

If an international student is accepted, please note that an enrollment contract and deposit must be completed and received before an I-20 can be issued. 

Consultants/Guardians: It is important that the student's home address is on the application for issuance of the I-20. Consultant and guardian information should be placed in the International Student Supplement section of the online application.

* St. Thomas More School accepts a variety of standardized tests, depending on the grade you are applying for, including the SSAT, PSAT, ISEE, SAT, ACT, ERB and state mandated standardized tests. 

** English proficiency scores are primarily used for placement purposes in our highly effective ESL program. The program accomodates beginning level students in grades 8 and 9.  Students applying for grade 10, should have a Toefll iBt equivalent of 55+, for 11th - 65+ and for 12th - 75+.

If you are considering applying and have not yet taken a proficienct test, consider the Duolingo DET.  It is time and cost effective and scores are delivered to us in 1-2 days.  

International Student College Matriculation

(Past four years)

Babson College
Bentley College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Carnegie Mellon University
Indiana University- Bloomington
Michigan State University
New York University
Ohio State University
Penn State University
Purdue University
Rutgers University
Stonybrook University
Syracuse University
University of Arizona
University of California- Berkeley
University of Connecticut
University of Kansas
University of Massachusetts- Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Texas- Austin
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin- Madison

Levels of English as a Second Language

ESL I
Program Description
Students entering ESL I are beginners with low proficiency in English. These students' needs are met in our program with five courses:

1. Grammar
2. Writing
3. Reading
4. Vocabulary
5. Listening and Speaking

Because proficiency in English requires a variety of skills, each course incorporates some aspects of the others in an attempt to integrate all of the necessary skills into each class.

The goal of the ESL I Curriculum is to immerse beginning international students in an intensive program that will provide them with basic reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. These skills are augmented by an intensive study of grammatical structures. More details of this program can be seen in the curriculum pages under Student Life.

ESL II
Program Description
Students entering ESL II are intermediate to advanced students who have completed ESL I or who have demonstrated a mastery of basic English. Students in this advanced level are capable of success in a mainstream high school course, but still need additional reinforcement of their English abilities. Students in ESL II can take ESL courses concurrently with mainstream classes at St. Thomas More School. The aim of the ESL II curriculum is to provide the English language support at the advanced level that will help them succeed in all subjects.  Three course are offered at the ESL II level:

1. Grammar and Writing
2. Reading and Vocabulary
3. Listening and Speaking

The goal of the ESL II curriculum is to provide students with the advanced level of skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking that will allow them to participate in mainstream English language classes.

Advanced Placement Options at STM

St. Thomas More School's curriculum includes AP Micro and Macro Economics, AP US Government and AP Calculus. We also conduct AP testing every spring in these and other AP subjects. Our Physics, Chemistry and US History courses properly prepare students to take the AP exam.

Vacations and Holiday Breaks

For long weekends and other shorter breaks, the school is open for students who cannot return home or travel. For longer vacations the campus is closed and all students must either return home, visit relatives or travel.  For students who need an alternative, our residential life staff will work with them to make appropriate arrangements.  Many of our students have used the following organization:

World Wide Gold Star Academics Short-Term Hosting Program

For more details, please contact shoekstra@wwgsa.com.