Welcome! Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Belleville

The Diocese of Belleville consists of 23 Elementary Schools and 3 High Schools. Please click here for the complete listing of schools.

 Why Choose Catholic Schools?

Catholic schools address the development of the whole person - spirit, mind, and body - through spiritual and academic formation. Catholic schools are academic as well as faith successes.

Principles Unique to Catholic Schools:

• Catholic schools operate as communities rather than bureaucracies
• Catholic schools are committed to academic excellence
• Catholic schools incorporate spirituality into every aspect of the curriculum
• Catholic schools teach that service to others is a basic tenant of the Catholic faith
• Catholic schools are diverse and inclusive
• Catholic school teachers and leaders say they believe they are called to the Ministry of Catholic education

U.S. Department of Education Statistics:

• Catholic school students out perform their public school counterparts on advanced assessment tests
• Catholic school 8th grade students outscore their public school counterparts by 13 points in mathematics and 20 points in reading
• High School graduation rates are 99% for Catholic school students compared to 82% for public school seniors

Helping to Build a Better Society and Community:

• Catholic school students are more likely to pray daily, attend church more often, retain a Catholic identity as an adult, and donate more to the Church.
• Students who attend Catholic high schools are approximately twice as likely as students who attend public high schools to graduate from college.
• Nearly 62% of Catholic high school students earn a bachelor's degree or higher by the time they are eight years out of high school. By contrast, only 31% of public school students go on to earn a bachelor's degree or higher in the same time frame.
• The achievement gap between students of different racial and/or socioeconomic backgrounds is significantly smaller in Catholic schools than public schools.
• A child who is African American or Latino is 42% more likely to graduate from high school and 2.5 times more likely to graduate from college, if he or she attends Catholic school.
• The more "at risk" a child is, the greater the relative achievement gains he or she experiences in a Catholic school.
• Catholic school graduates enjoy higher earning potential than public school graduates.
• Catholic school graduates are more civically engaged, more likely to vote, more tolerant of diverse views and more committed to service as adults, and less likely to be incarcerated than their pubic school peers.

Tuition assistance, philanthropic partnerships, private scholarships, and the advancement of school choice give more parents the option to choose Catholic schools today. Please contact our office or the individual schools for more information.