St. John Paul II High School earns Catholic Education honorable mention

The Cardinal Newman Society has released a list of schools recognized by the Catholic Education Honor Roll as 2014 Schools of Excellence, which includes six Texas Catholic Schools. Since 2004 the Honor Roll has celebrated quality Catholic education throughout the United States.

The Catholic Education Honor Roll also recognizes St. John Paul II High School in the Diocese of Corpus Christi as a 2014 Honorable Mention School. The school is one of nine schools in the United States to receive honorable mention recognition.

Honor Roll schools receiving this designation are marked by the integration of Catholic identity throughout all aspects of their programs and excellence in academics. This year 71 schools received the honor of being named as a School of Excellence, and an additional nine received the distinction of Honorable Mention. This is less than five percent of the Catholic high schools in the United States.

“Since competition began in 2004, the Honor Roll has been a helpful tool for administrators, families, and benefactors in recognizing the quality of a Catholic high school education,” Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society, said. “The Honor Roll schools are a reminder that Catholic education is getting better every day—not only academically, but in the renewal of Catholic identity—and we are delighted to see the increased level of competition among the schools that participated in the program this year.”

This year’s Honor Roll schools are diverse: large and small, new and long established, highly selective and those with open enrollment admissions policies, as well as a variety of tuition rates. The common trait is an institutional commitment to providing a truly integrated and faithful Catholic education across all disciplines and in all areas of student activities.

The 2014 Schools of Excellence are located in 26 states, with the largest number (eight) located in Pennsylvania, followed by Texas and Michigan, each with six, and Virginia with five.

The Acton Institute founded the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2004. The Cardinal Newman Society assumed the program in 2012, consistent with its mission of helping Catholic families and promoting faithful Catholic education.