St. Margaret's School (SMS) is an independent all-girls school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1908 by English sisters Edith and Isobel Fenwick together with their friend Margaret Barton. It is the oldest continuously operating independent school on Vancouver Island, and the island's only all-girls day and boarding school.
SMS educates approximately 350 students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12, with boarding available for Grades 7 to 12. The 22-acre campus includes science laboratories, a dance studio and gymnasium. The school is non-denominational, and its motto is "Servite in Caritate" — Service with Love.
Every student entering Grade 11 at SMS is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. On completion, graduates earn both the British Columbia Dogwood Diploma and the IB Diploma. Students may also customise their programme by combining IB courses with SMS electives, earning IB course credit alongside the Dogwood Diploma.
SMS was the first school in Canada to build its identity around STEM education for girls. Students engage with science, technology, engineering and mathematics from an early age, and graduates are roughly six times more likely to major in a STEM field at university.
The boarding programme serves Grades 7 through 12 and draws students from around the world. A five-day boarding option is also available. Students who are not native English speakers are supported through a structured English Language Learning (ELL) programme, allowing them to join mainstream classes while continuing to build their English.
The 32 graduates of the Class of 2021 received more than 150 university offers between them. Recent destinations include Columbia University, Harvard College, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University and Parsons School of Design.
1080 Lucas Avenue, Victoria, British Columbia V8X 3P7, Canada
