Women's Education Educating young women who dream broadly about the future and are uniquely positioned to achieve those dreams is at the heart of the Notre Dame experience. Studies have shown that students thrive in an all-girls environment. They are more confident, have higher career aspirations, are more competitive and willing to take positive risks. Girls studying STEM subjects in an all-girls environment have been found to outperform their counterparts at coeducational schools. Additionally, an allgirls environment fosters more meaningful relationships with teachers and mentors. As the oldest all-girls school in the western United States, Notre Dame has an established history of providing education that develops young women of impact. Through a program focused on leadership development, critical thinking skills, complex problem-solving abilities and effective communication, our students are empowered to find their voice and use it to bring about the change they want to see in the world.
166
year tradition of educating women
7
faculty members are AP Readers
17
faculty members
presented at regional and national
conferences last year
297
elected & selected leadership positions available to students on campus
8,000
+
ALUMNAE NETWORK
Reasons to Love ND "One of the things I find appealing about Notre Dame is the welcoming community. When I arrived I was scared that, being a freshman, I would not know anything but my big sisters and my teachers took me under their wing. I love everything about Notre Dame. There is nowhere I would rather be for high school."
Shruthi '19 TOP REASONS
• Academics • Daughter's choice
parents chose to send • Opportunities for development their daughter to of career and life skills Notre Dame • Leadership opportunities • Safe environment • Innovative learning environment • Diversity
165
+
students at
freshman sleepover each year
89
alumnae visited campus last year for
networking events with current students
3,175 crazy costumes for spirit week
Innovative Schools Network Notre Dame is the only school in Silicon Valley included in this prestigious education network.
Academic Pathways Students can personalize and specialize their learning in areas of interest.
Leadership Development Each student can develop her leadership skills and experience through exemplary curricular and co-curricular programs.
Technology as a Tool At Notre Dame, technology empowers student-centered learning and allows for global collaboration.
Personalized Support The size of our student body encourages personalization and access to faculty, mentors and counselors.
Experiential Learning Our unique learning opportunities include travel, community partnerships, guest speakers and interdisciplinary field trips at each grade level.
2
Innovative Learning students participated in 2 civic hackathons hosted by community partners, Brocade and Facing History & Ourselves
30
CLASSES
70
+
utilized our makerspace to prototype student projects
"It's one thing to study the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr.'s incredible activism and emphasis on peaceful protest. It's another thing to have Dr. Clarence B. Jones, Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech writer, friend and lawyer, come to your school and talk about what the movement meant to him. Like a college or university, Notre Dame is constantly providing opportunities to meet influential people who have made an impact on society."
Pearlin '18
As a benefit of our membership in the Innovative Schools Network, students experience co-ed leadership opportunities with other ISN schools and social-thought guest speakers including Dr. Clarence B. Jones.
2
49 11
students
working towards
ENDORSED DIPLOMAS
in STEAM, VAPA & Social Justice
ND READS
Innovative Schools Network
authors visits hosted on campus
Academic Pathways Accelerated Pathway Highly motivated students with capacity for further scholastic challenge can enroll in one or more of 29 accelerated courses, or Advanced Placement and Honors courses, offered at Notre Dame.
STEAM Pathway Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) blends emerging focus on STEAM preparation with the unique location of Notre Dame in the SoFA arts district of downtown San Jose.
Visual & Performing Arts Pathway Students interested in the arts — whether visual or performing or both — can explore content and hands-on learning opportunities that position student artists to pursue the arts in college and beyond.
93
%
AP pass rate for students last year • English Literature 92% • English Language 95% • Psychology 96% • US History 91% • World History 96% • Calculus BC 96% • Biology 100% • Spanish Literature 100% AVERAGE PASS RATE
62 state
%
60
%
nation
78
%
of students
take one or more of 29
AP & Honors classes
12 Honors classes
17 AP classes
offered this year
Leadership
Development
"Notre Dame provides opportunities for leadership experience for every student. Through sports, clubs, student leadership and many others, every student can become a leader in some way."
Anya '18
2
Technology As A Tool "The use of a primary device in most classes helps provide students with handson experience and an environment similar to college courses. Their primary function is to help create a collaborative environment between students and also to communicate better with teachers. Being able to bring your own device to classes gives you more accessibility to digital resources and class materials. It also helps if a student misses a day of school. They can log in to to the teacher's class page where all the information of what was covered in class that day is recorded. This helps students keep up with the topics discussed in class." Technology & Social Justice As part of a social justice unit on homelessness and housing, 58 students in Geometry classes designed 15 tiny houses that they printed using 3D printers on campus.
2
Anika '20
MINUTES
2,730
10:1 student to faculty ratio
"Notre Dame’s approachable and supportive counselors seek to have a special connection with all of their students. They see every student as an individual, and they provide advice and support for social situations and academic decisions."
Mia '20
24 students in each
mentoring group
that stays together for all four years with a
of mentoring
dedicated to each student's emotional, social, and academic growth
NO MORE THAN
Personalized Support
faculty member
17
guest speakers
sponored by the counseling department for parent education on topics including adolescence, parenting and college admissions
Experiential Learning in
CLASSES
cultural and service immersion trips over 2 years
GUEST SPEAKERS
16 31 26
100
%
of students participate in grade-level interdisciplinary field trips
to locations such as Angel Island, De Young Museum, Legion of Honor and Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
"I like how we study ‘women of impact’ in our freshman year and become them in our senior year. It is truly a beautiful process to go from learning about history to making it. When I came to Notre Dame as a freshman, I was honestly not very socially aware. All of the courses, especially in the humanities department, have opened my eyes to the issues present in society today and made me a more passionate social justice advocate."
Stephanie '18 Woman's Place Project Over the last 22 years, 3,465 place settings have been created by freshmen to honor women who have made significant contributions across time and industry.
2