Mt. Carmel School

Pardon Our Progress 🦺

Our gym and cafeteria are currently undergoing construction, with Celnaps Enterprises hard at work on the repairs. We’re grateful for their work and can’t wait to welcome our students back into a gym they can enjoy once again! 🏀🏐

Mount Carmel School (MCS) announced today that it has earned Cognia ® American School Certification. Cognia is a nonprofit school improvement organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers. “Cognia American School Certification provides Mount Carmel School an internationally recognized mark of quality for our school’s alignment to U.S. standards and curriculum and English-language instruction,” shared former President John Blanco, “It demonstrates our commitment to excellence in American education.”
“Time and again, Mount Carmel School has shown itself to be the greatest steward of our young people’s education in the CNMI,” Mount Carmel School President Christine Igisomar shared. “I am not surprised that we achieved this milestone through the dedicated support of our teachers, faculty, and staff, whose commitment and hard work helped guide us toward this six-year accreditation by Cognia, an outstanding organization that has certified more than 30,000 schools worldwide in their pursuit of academic excellence.

“We look forward to sharing that academic excellence with all our students and with the many more students who will join our Mount Carmel School family in the future,” Igisomar added.

Cognia recognizes schools, systems, and providers outside the U.S. that meet our rigorous requirements and align with U.S. standards and provide English-language instruction. To earn Cognia American School Certification, a school must submit to internal and external review to evaluate an institution’s commitment to U.S. educational philosophy. Earning American school certification from Cognia means that the school meets Cognia American School Certification Requirements and provides a high-quality American-style education program.

Mount Carmel School earns full six-year Cognia American School Certification

SAIPAN — The CNMI's largest private school has an internationally recognized stamp on its work. Mount Carmel School announced it has earned Cognia American School Certification, a full six-year accreditation from the nonprofit school improvement organization that provides quality assurance for schools, districts and education providers worldwide.

"Time and again, Mount Carmel School has shown itself to be the greatest steward of our young people's education in the CNMI," said Mount Carmel School President Christine Igisomar. "I am not surprised that we achieved this milestone through the dedicated support of our teachers, faculty, and staff, whose commitment and hard work helped guide us toward this six-year accreditation by Cognia, an outstanding organization that has certified more than 30,000 schools worldwide in their pursuit of academic excellence. We look forward to sharing that academic excellence with all our students and with the many more students who will join our Mount Carmel School family in the future."

The certification provides an internationally recognized mark of quality for the school's alignment to U.S. standards and curriculum and English-language instruction, said former President John Blanco, adding that it "demonstrates our commitment to excellence in American education."

To earn the certification, a school must submit to internal and external review evaluating its commitment to U.S. educational philosophy, with the mark signifying the school meets Cognia's American School Certification Requirements and provides a high-quality American-style education program.

"We give thanks to last year's accreditation team for ensuring our school was well-prepared for the accreditation visit," said returning Principal Frances Taimanao. "We are especially grateful to all our stakeholders - students, parents, employees, and board members - who participated in interviews that were integral to the accreditation process."

Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia, said the certification "provides schools a transparent, rigorous framework for schools to meet requirements of a high-quality, rigorous American education, opening doors for students seeking future opportunities aligned with American academic pathways. We commend Mount Carmel School for commitment to excellence in education aligned with U.S. standards and curriculum."

Cognia serves 40,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 100 countries. Founded in 1952, Mount Carmel School is the CNMI's largest private K-12 Catholic institution, providing what it describes as a rigorous, faith-based education preparing students for academic success, leadership and service to the community.

📚✨ A new school year is officially underway!

Today, our campus came alive once again with smiling faces, new beginnings, and the excitement of learning. Welcome back, Knights—we're so glad you're here. Here's to an amazing year ahead! 💙💛

Tonight, Mount Carmel School welcomed our students and families for Open House as we kicked off a new school year together. Thank you to everyone who joined us—we're excited for the year ahead!

Mount Carmel School is proud to honor retired Commander and proud Alumknight of the Class of 2002, Christine Igisomar, for her 24 years of dedicated service to the United States Coast Guard. As she begins this new chapter, we proudly welcome President Christine Igisomar back home to lead the Mount Carmel School family. Welcome aboard, President Igisomar!

We proudly share a message from Mount Carmel School President John Blanco recognizing the successful completion of our accreditation process, ahead of the opening of our school on August 5. Thank you to our students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters for being part of this important milestone!

Planning for the year ahead! 📚✨ Today, our junior and senior students participated in Mount Carmel School's Scheduling Fair, selecting their courses and preparing for another successful school year.

“The first of many great milestones. Start your child’s story with a foundation of joy and excellence.”

JOIN A FAMILY. SHARE A LEGACY. BECOME A KNIGHT.

(Photo taken from 2025 MCS Kindergarten Commencement)

Applications and re-enrollment for SY 2026-2027 are still ONGOING!

📲 Ready to Apply?
Visit our website for the New Student Application and Re-Enrollment Forms: mountcarmelsaipan.com/admissions

👉 You’ll need to create a Parent Admissions account (for New Students) or log into your Family Portal (Returning Students)

🔒 Note: Your child’s placement on the class roster will only be secured once you submit a successful application/re-enrollment form and make the required registration fee payment(s).

If you have any questions about the application process, academics, or student life, feel free to reach out to the MCS Main Office at (670) 234-6184 or [email protected].

For questions about fees or costs, contact the MCS Business Office at (670) 235-1201.