Aldert Smedes, an Episcopal priest, Saint Mary's School has operated continuously on the same site ever since.

With the support of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, Smedes founded Saint Mary's as a school for young ladies "designed to furnish a thorough and excellent education equal to the best that can be obtained in the city of New York, or in any Northern school."

Saint Mary's buildings date from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and also include antebellum structures individually recognized as Local Historic Landmarks.

Three buildings from the 1830s are visible from Hillsborough Street from behind a wooded glade of large oaks, hollies, and magnolias.

The early twentieth century saw much construction; nearly all the permanent brick buildings, which were rendered in the Colonial Revival style, survive.

Later construction continued to complement earlier buildings, and the view of the campus from Hillsborough Street remains notable for its historic integrity.

[2] Saint Mary's School offers a full interscholastic athletic program consisting of 18 sports teams.

Sports offered at Saint Mary's include soccer, cross country, field hockey, golf, tennis, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, swimming, track and field, softball, and cheerleading.