Why Catholic Schools
We continue to prove our model works. Catholic school educational opportunities empower our scholars to grow in their faith, explore and understand their purpose, and learn to serve our community, strengthening and enriching Baton Rouge.
Catholic schools prepare students to be true disciples of Christ. Catholic education addresses the development of the whole person – spirit, mind and body – through spiritual and academic formation based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Principles Unique To Catholic Schools
• Catholic schools operate as communities rather than bureaucracies
• Catholic schools are committed to academic excellence
• Catholic schools incorporate spirituality into every aspect of the curriculum
• Catholic schools teach that service to others is a basic tenet of the Catholic faith
• Catholic schools are diverse and inclusive
• Catholic school teachers and leaders believe they are called to the ministry of Catholic education
Statistically Speaking
• Nationally, high school graduation rates are 99 percent for Catholic school students compared to 82 percent for public school seniors.
• Catholic high school students are twice as likely to graduate from college than public school students.
• Nearly 62 percent of Catholic high school students earn a bachelor’s degree or higher by the time they are eight years out of high school. By contrast, only 31 percent of public school students go on to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher in the same time frame.
• The achievement gap between students of different racial and/or socioeconomic backgrounds is significantly smaller in Catholic schools than public schools.
• A child who is African American or Latino is 42 percent more likely to graduate from high school and 2.5 times more likely to graduate from college, if he or she attends Catholic school.
• Catholic school graduates enjoy higher earning potential than public school graduates.
• Catholic school graduates are more civically engaged, more likely to vote, more tolerant of diverse views and more committed to service as adults, and less likely to be incarcerated than their public school peers.