Education

CELEBRATING CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS

By Staff     1/28/2020

National Catholic Schools Week (CSW) is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Now entering its 46th anniversary year, CSW has traditionally been held the last week in January. Students celebrate their parish, their community and each other, the nation, vocations, and families. 

 

ROSARY ACADEMY 

The Rosary Academy (Fullerton) student body is composed of young women who plan to attend college or pursue some other form of higher education. Rosary Academy is accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) and by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). The goal of the Rosary community is to empower each student to become a woman of faith and a citizen who is knowledgeable, creative, ethical, and responsible. The school is proud to have a 12:1 student-faculty ratio.  Seventy percent of the school’s faculty has advanced degrees. Students come from 83 different zip codes and they came from 104 middle schools in the area. Fifty percent of the students receive need-based aid with $20 million given in scholarships.  

 

SERVITE 

Servite High School (Anaheim) is an independent, Catholic college preparatory high school for boys informed by the Catholic faith and the charism of the Order of Friar Servants of Mary.  Boys are educated in light of their spatial, visual, active learning style and natural affinity for subjects like abstract mathematics and science. The school accepts young men of all religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Servite received a 6-year accreditation with a one-day visit and 3rd-year report, one of the highest terms a school can receive.  

 

MATER DEI 

Mater Dei (Santa Ana) was founded in 1950. The school has influenced Orange County and beyond across disciplines. The Mater Dei community is built on Catholic fellowship and intellectual rigor, dedicated to developing students’ talents as they pursue their dreams of academic excellence, artistic distinction, athletic glory, and spiritual growth. The Class of 2019 celebrated 520 graduates with $72 million in college scholarships. The Class of 2019 also had 198 Golden Seal Bearers for California Scholarship Federation, 138 Lifetime members of the National Honor Society, and 170 seniors graduated with a 4.0 GPA or higher.  Mater Dei High School is accredited by WCEA and WASC. It is also an Apple Distinguished School.  

 

SANTA MARGARITA 

Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Rancho Santa Margarita) is ranked by Niche.com as the No.1 Catholic high school in Orange County and the No.1 Co-ed Catholic high School in Southern California.  The class of 2019 had 1,991 college acceptances, three National Merit Semifinalists, and earned $41.9 million in merit and athletic scholarships. SMCHS students live in 42 different communities; SMCHS is home to international students from 10 different countries. The school has won numerous awards across disciplines. SMCHS is a one-on-one Tablet PC Program and is a Microsoft Showcase School (with a fully equipped Mac lab for graphic design and multimedia design). SMCHS is accredited by the WCEA and WASC, Certified as an International Baccalaureate World School (IB), Member of the College Board. The school four principles of Caritas Christi are humility, compassion, goodness, and justice.  

 

JSERRA 

JSerra High School (San Juan Capistrano) is an independent Catholic high school in San Juan Capistrano. Founded by a group of dedicated parents in 2003, the school has a lay, self-appointing Board of Directors that provides strategic direction for the school, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Today, JSerra offers its students five acclaimed Professional Magnet Programs (Arts, Business, Engineering, Law, and Medical) and online education options. Its excellent academic programs have nurtured and developed National Merit Scholarship winners and a Fulbright Scholar. The school has a 18:1 student/teacher ratio and 41 percent of its faculty has advanced degrees. For the Class of 2019, $151,000 was the average awarded scholarship.  JSerra Catholic High School celebrates all-school Mass weekly.  

 

ST. MICHAEL’S PREPARATORY

St. Michael’s Preparatory School (Silverado) ranks among the top 50 Catholic high schools in the nation.  It is the only boarding school in that list.  The school prides itself with a teacher/student ratio of 1:4 so every St. Michael’s Preparatory offers a classical curriculum, including the study of Latin, Logic and Philosophy. The school is run by the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey.  Students attend daily Mass, nightly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and are given 4 years of solid Catholic instruction. During their Junior Year St. Michael’s students visit Rome for two weeks. 

 

CORNELIA CONNELLY 

Cornelia Connelly, an independent all girls Catholic High School under the Holy Child Network Schools, celebrated $4 million in scholarship for the Class of 2019 graduates. Regrettably, the Cornelia Connelly High School Board of Directors and the Sisters of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus have voted to close the school in June 2020. Pastoral support and educational guidance are offered to all those affected in order to ensure all students will be warmly welcomed into a nearby Catholic school where they will continue to learn and thrive. The Diocese of Orange Department of Catholic Schools also welcome applications from displaced faculty for open positions in the schools operated by the Diocese of Orange.