About Us -- About Catholic Schools
Current Strengths of Catholic Schools in the Diocese
- Catholic identity, faith and morality are at the heart of instruction, and schools provide students opportunities to engage in prayer, liturgy, retreats, and habits of service.
- U.S. Dept. of Education has honored seven schools with "Blue Ribbon" awards.
- Schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a premiere accrediting body. The Diocese of Richmond became the first Catholic diocese in the nation to receive district accreditation from SACS, and has become a model for other dioceses.
- Teachers are licensed and meet the same educational standards as teachers in public schools, and on-going formation is required of religion teachers.
- Strong academic programs are evidenced by high standardized test scores, with average standardized Terra Nova scores in the top 10 percent in the nation. High school students perform solidly on PSAT, SAT and AP tests. Students' Assessment of Catholic Religious Education (ACRE) scores are consistently above-average.
- 99 percent of students graduate, and 100 percent of students who apply, are accepted into college.
Read more:
- Case for Support (104 kb, PDF)
- Schools Fact Sheet (320 kb, PDF)
"Catholic schools collaborate with parents and guardians in raising and forming their children as families struggle with the changing and challenging cultural and moral contexts in which they find themselves " ~ USCCB