St. Mary's School, Pune, India, was founded in 1866 to cater to the education of the daughters of officers posted to Pune, in the British Indian Army. From 1866 to 1977, the school was run by the Sisters of the Community of St. Mary the Virgin, an Anglican order based in Wantage, England.
In 1977 it was decided at Wantage to hand over the School to seculars, as times had changed, and too much administrative work was involved in running a school, which the Community felt was incompatible with their religious life.
In June 1976, Mrs. Elizabeth Matthew who had been a senior English teacher with the School since 1973, was appointed Vice Principal. The following year the Sisters withdrew from the School and Mrs. Elizabeth Matthew took over as Principal. The enrollment went from 840 students to 2700. The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education results every year were outstanding, with no failures, and 90% of the students securing over 75%.
In June 1992, Mrs. Matthew started a Boy's School, with one division of each class, from Upper Kindergarten to Std X. The Boys’ School is run on the same lines as the Girl's School, except for their timings. The girls work from 8.40 a.m to 3.30 p.m and the boys from 7.40 a.m to 1.30 p.m. The timings have changed to 7:40 to 2:00 for the boys and with no Saturday school.
In March 2006, Mrs. Matthew was appointed as Executive Director of the school. Miss Jessica Simoes who was in charge of the Boys’ School took her place as Principal. Mrs Matthew lost her battle with cancer and died on 13 April 2009, after which the post of Executive Director has been abolished.
Miss Jessica Simoes who was Incharge of the Boys’ School took her place as Principal in 2006. She served in that post till 2010. In the academic year 2010-2011, Mrs. Sujata Mallic Kumar was appointed Principal.
The school is affiliated to the all-India Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, New Delhi.
A private institution, St. Mary's School is entirely dependent for funding on school fees. Christian principles form the foundation and it is registered as a major school. However admissions are open to children of all communities.
Students from the school consistently secure more than 90% in the ICSE. In the 2010 ICSE examinations the highest percentage in the school (best of 4 + English) was 98.4%, the second highest in India. Out of the total of 223 students (179 girls and 44 boys) who appeared for the examination that year, 161 students secured more than 90% (132 girls and 29 boys).
Extra Curricular St. Mary's School excels in extra-curricular activities such as sports, music, debates, etc. Teams sent by Mary's in basketball always bring back the titles and are renowned for usually reaching the state level. Football and handball in Mary's are also exceptional. Mary's also sends out winning representatives as choirs and debate teams.