St. Mary's Canossian College is a Catholic girls secondary school in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The school was founded in 1900, and is situated at the junction of Austin Road and Chatham Road South. Admission to St. Mary's Canossian College is highly selective. Students are taught by Sisters and experienced teachers. The school, known as St Mary's School in the past, was originally aimed at educating the Portuguese girls living in Kowloon, Hong Kong. This gradually changed, and as of now, 98% of the students are Hong Kong Chinese. One of the building in St. Mary’s Canossian College, St. Michael Building, was listed as Grade II historic buildings in Hong Kong in 1991. In 2010, the Main building and St. Michael Building were both confirmed to be Grade I historic buildings in Hong Kong. Other Catholic buildings, like the Rosary Church and the St. Mary's Canossian School, are adjacent to the school. St Mary's is also a band 1 school, leading top 10 in Hong Kong.
School history
St. Mary's Canossian College was founded in 1900 by the Institute of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, a Catholic religious institute founded by Magdalen of Canossa of the ancient noble family of Verona, Italy. Magdalen was canonised on 2 October 1988 for her sanctity and is honoured by the Church as St. Magdalen of Canossa. The school started with only two classrooms for boys and girls in response to the need for a school in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. The small school admitted 30 pupils and was named St. Mary's School. The school developed rapidly as the population in Kowloon grew. In 1960 the enrolment was 2500 including the Primary Section. In the same year the Secondary Section was named "St. Mary's Canossian College", a grant-in-aid school for girls while the Primary Section was renamed "St. Mary's Canossian School".
School description
St. Mary's has a population of around 1400 students, from Form One to Form Six. When students reach F.4, they could choose between 3 arts classes with slightly different subjects and 3 science classes. The school continues to keep and preserve its monumental looks with its long spiral staircase in the entrance to the main building. New buildings are continued to be built for the school's facilities.
School Sponsoring Body
The sisters of the Canossian Daughters of Charity established the school in 1900.
