FACTS ABOUT CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 

The U.S. Department of Education and Dr. James S. Coleman, sociologist and author of many landmark studies on American education, have unearthed some impressive statistics: 

in national and science achievement tests at both the elementary and secondary levels, Catholic school students outscored their public school counterparts; 

in all subjects, Catholic school students show greater academic achievement gains between tenth and twelfth grades than do public school students; 


Catholic school students from disadvantaged families show no corresponding academic deficiencies in math or verbal achievement, while similar students in public and other private schools show substantial academic deficiencies; 

in Catholic schools, minority students from underprivileged backgrounds outperform their public school counterparts; 


3% of Catholic high school students drop out of school compared to 14% of public school students; 

Catholic school graduates of every ethnic background choose a pre-professional college curriculum twice as often as public school graduates; 


83% of Catholic high school graduates go on to college as compared to 52% of public high school graduates; 

The graduation rate for all Catholic students is 95% and for public schools 66%; 


Catholic school students surpassed public school students by an average of 4.5% in math, 4.8% in science, and 12.5% in reading in the three grade levels of the National Assessment of Educational Progress test of the federal government; 

Catholic high-school sophomores are four times less likely to drop out than their public-school counterparts. Once graduated, they are much more likely-by 40%-to go on to college.