Catholic Schools Week, January 31-February 6

“Catholic schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service’
National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic Education.
Our schools will celebrate the week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, schools focus attention on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.

Catholic Students are the Church’s Future

In the Diocese of Oakland, our schools reflect the distinct cultural and racial diversity of our communities. We welcome families of all races, religions and economic backgrounds through our doors. This is a great strength; while our Christ-centered mission and commitment to excellence is unwavering, each Catholic school possesses its own identity. This identity reflects the backgrounds and needs of the people we serve.

Urban Catholic school parents know that their child’s attendance in Catholic Schools represents an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. Research from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) indicates that a Latino or black child educated in a Catholic school is 42% more likely to graduate from high school and 2.5 times more likely to graduate from college.

Community Engagement

Our Catholic schools are not just for the children who attend. Our students clearly benefit spiritually, academically and emotionally from a Catholic education. However, one of the hallmarks of a Catholic education is community and parent engagement. We partner closely with parents and guardians, supporting them as the primary educators of their children.

And our benefits extend beyond these families to the parish communities. Most of our elementary schools are ministries of a parish. The school brings life and vitality to each parish, drawing in young people. Catholic School students are 8 times more likely, as adults, to attend weekly mass (NCEA).

Living Excellence

The commitment to academic excellence is part of the mission statement of every Catholic school. The impact of a Catholic education upon our students is staggering. Our schools outpace their public-school counterparts on academic measures. We are consistently innovating, taking the best practices and resources around us and putting them to work for our children.

This excellence also extends to our Catholic identity. Our schools exist to bring children closer to Christ. We evangelize children and their families, driving them to know and understand God’s plan for them. Our faith is the secret to our excellence. Schools succeed in the Diocese of Oakland because Christ is at the center of every classroom.

We encourage all parents to consider our Catholic schools as their first choice in education. All of our schools fundraise annually to help reduce tuition costs and our parishes assist in providing financial aid. FACE, Family Aid - Catholic Education, raises money each year to provide scholarships to students whose parents desire a Catholic education for their children but are unable to bear the full cost. Major outside funders, like the BASIC Fund provide additional tuition assistance to families with new students.

In summary, it is important to note some of the elements that are exemplified by our Catholic Schools …

• We offer an education that combines Catholic Faith and values with academic excellence
• Our students score at or above national average academic benchmarks
• 99% of students that attend Catholic elementary schools are accepted at Catholic high schools
• 99% of students that attend Catholic high schools graduate
• All of our schools are accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)