Admissions

The Tri-School Network: How Notre Dame Belmont Partners with Mercy Burlingame and Junípero Serra

September 21, 2026 3 min read

Most single-sex Catholic high schools operate largely on their own. Notre Dame Belmont takes a different approach: a formal Tri-School Network connecting it with two nearby Catholic schools, Mercy High School Burlingame and Junípero Serra High School.

Quick Answer for Busy Parents

The Tri-School Network is a longstanding partnership between Notre Dame Belmont, Mercy High School Burlingame, and Junípero Serra High School, providing shared classes, co-educational activities, and joint programs like Tri-School Productions. Cardinal Education has covered this same network from Mercy’s side in our article on Mercy Burlingame’s Tri-School Program.

What the Tri-School Network Is

NDB, Mercy Burlingame, and Junípero Serra are all Catholic schools serving the Bay Area Peninsula, and together they form a network that gives students access to a broader set of academic and social opportunities than any single-sex school could offer alone.

How the Three Schools Work Together

School Type
Notre Dame Belmont All-girls’, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Mercy High School Burlingame All-girls’, Sisters of Mercy
Junípero Serra High School All-boys’, Congregation of Holy Cross

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Why the Network Exists

Single-sex schools face a real tradeoff: a focused, single-gender environment can mean fewer co-educational experiences and a narrower course catalog than a larger school offers, part of a broader educational philosophy debate. The Tri-School Network addresses that directly, giving students at all three schools access to Tri-School Productions and other joint activities without requiring any of the schools to become co-educational.

Why This Matters for Families Evaluating NDB

For families comparing NDB against other single-sex and co-educational Bay Area Catholic schools, the Tri-School Network is a concrete way to evaluate how a single-sex school addresses social and academic breadth without sacrificing its core identity, part of what schools look for in applicants beyond academics alone. It reflects genuine, longstanding institutional cooperation among three well-established Catholic schools, not a one-off elective arrangement.

Get Into Notre Dame Belmont with the Full Picture in Hand

The Tri-School Network reflects NDB’s practical approach to expanding academic and social opportunity while remaining a dedicated all-girls’ school. Cardinal Education’s private school admissions consulting helps families evaluate whether this kind of shared-campus network fits their daughter’s goals, part of a broader extracurricular and social picture.

Asian American families weighing NDB alongside its Tri-School partners can find more tailored guidance in our Notre Dame Belmont guide for Asian American families.

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What is the Tri-School Network?
A longstanding partnership between Notre Dame Belmont, Mercy High School Burlingame, and Junípero Serra High School, providing shared classes and joint activities.
Does the Tri-School Network make NDB co-educational?
No. NDB remains an all-girls’ school; the network simply gives students access to shared classes and activities with Mercy Burlingame and Junípero Serra.
What is Tri-School Productions?
A joint theater program among the three Tri-School Network members, giving students from all three schools a chance to work together on stage productions.

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