The National Catholic Educational Association reports that the 2016 College Board SAT Subject Tests scores indicate that parochial schools ‘’scored significantly higher than the national mean for public schools on the new version of the SAT’’. Of the 50 private schools recognized as Blue Ribbon schools in 2017, 37 were Catholic schools. Catholic school students’ consistently impressive performance can be attributed to several important factors: on average, Catholic schools have smaller class sizes, allowing teachers to give students individual attention and deploy personalized pedagogical strategies. Teachers and students bond more readily in smaller classes, creating the trust and care required to optimize the learning process.

Also underpinning the success of Catholic schools is their mission of imparting values and instructing future leaders. With an emphasis on discipline, respect, and stewardship, Catholic schools transmit the virtues that beget diligent scholars and upstanding citizens. Students are taught from kindergarten to high school to treat others kindly, respect teachers, and strive to do their best every day – all of which contribute to a healthy and productive space for learning and personal growth. Catholic schools transcend practical objectives of readying students for the workforce, forming young professionals whose ethics and ideals compel them to make their work meaningful, equitable, and fruitful.

The most important asset of Catholic schools is their unparalleled sense of community. Communal life is at the heart of every Catholic school experience, from celebrating Mass together to cheering on the tennis team at a home match. Catholic schools depend on students and their families to tend to the schools’ material and spiritual needs; every community member has a role to play in uplifting the community. Successes and hardships are shared, and the friendships and relationships forged within often last a lifetime. The Saint Joseph Catholic schools constitute a unity of vision and purpose – that of educating and enriching young minds. Far from being insular, exclusionary spaces, Catholic (meaning ‘universal’’) schools stretch outward to the world, united by faith and a common goal of creating a better world for our children by sharing Christ’s love and truth.