St. Mary's Canossian College was founded in 1900 by the Institute of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, a Catholic Religious Institute whose Foundress is 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 beginnings of St. Mary's Canossian College were extremely modest. The school was originally intended for the many Portuguese girls living in Kowloon. The small school admitted 30 pupils and was named St. Mary's School. The small beginnings 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 re-named "St. Mary's Canossian School".

The purpose of the School, was, and remains, that of educating young women to the Christian spirit of love and concern for others, while, at the same time, imparting an intellectual and a human overall formation which is second to none. Students are motivated and encouraged by a dedicated staff of Sisters and lay teachers to develop values and attitudes such as positive-thinking, self-discipline and self-learning in their pursuit of academic excellence, communication skills, rapport and leadership skills through community services and extra-curricular activities. 

Today, St. Mary's has a population of around 1000 students, from Form One (Secondary 1) to Form Six (Secondary 6).  In its effort to develop each person to her fullest, the school offers a great variety of subjects and extra-curricular activities to allow the students to grow and master those skills which are essential in today's society. Most of St. Mary's students qualify for local degree programmes, though a good number prefer to go abroad, mainly to U.K., U.S.A., Canada and Australia, for further studies. St. Mary's Alumnae have been admitted to outstanding academic institutions, such as Cambridge, London, Oxford etc. distinguishing themselves for their abilities and seriousness of purpose. Most of them were (or are) scholarship holders and outstanding leaders excelling in both curricular and extra-curricular fields.

Address:	162, Austin Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel:	+852 2724 2771
Fax:	+852 27242719
Email:	info@smcc.hk
URL:	www.smcc.hk