Catholic Schools Superintendent Marty Frauenheim listed a host of reasons stakeholders of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis should celebrate. They include:
Strong Catholic identity
- 74 percent of elementary schools offer Mass at least weekly for all students.
- 79 percent of schools have integrated the archdiocesan K-8 religion standards into their school improvement plan.
- In the last five years Catholic schools have brought 166 non-Catholic students and 82 non-Catholic family members into the faith.
- 39 Catholic school graduates have entered the priesthood or religious life.
Academic excellence
- Average 8th-grade test scores were two to three grade equivalents above the 8th-grade norm in reading, vocabulary, math, math problem solving, language spelling, science and social science.
- With 96 percent of Catholic high school students taking the ACT test, the average composite ACT score was 24.7. In comparison, 72 percent of students across Minnesota take the ACT test, and their average ACT score was 22.9. Across the nation, 49 percent of high school students take the ACT, scoring a 21.1 average.
- Catholic high schools locally graduate 99.4 percent of students; 97.2 percent go on to higher education or serve in the military.
Teachers and administrators
- Nearly 50 percent of Catholic school teachers have advanced degrees.
- 81 Catholic educators are currently pursuing advance degrees or certification.
School consolidation
- Community of Saints Regional Catholic School will open this fall to serve South St. Paul, West St. Paul and the west side neighborhood of St. Paul with a K-8 enrollment of 250 students and a Pre-K enrollment of 40.
