By Gina Christian • Posted September 15, 2022

More than five dozen Catholic elementary schools in the five-county region have been recognized for attaining high marks in their mission.

Last week, the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Education (OCE) named 62 parish and regional elementary schools as Archdiocesan Schools of Distinguished Instruction.

Pastors and school administrators gathered to receive the awards at a Sept. 8 ceremony hosted by St. Pius X Parish in Broomall.

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Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, who oversees Catholic education in the archdiocese; Father Stephen DeLacy, Vicar for the Office for Faith Formation for Youth and Young Adults, and Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, Secretary for Elementary Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, were on hand to formally present the honors.

Thirty schools were highlighted for their growth and for exceeding their potential, based on standardized testing results. Growth schools were found to have exceeded 90% or more in all content area, with a rate of potential between 76% and 90%, based on Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) standardized testing scores.

Honors for exceeding potential were determined by analyzing results from two standardized tests administered by Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corporation: the TerraNova and InView diagnostics, which respectively measure actual and anticipated academic performance in reading, language skills, mathematics, science and social studies. The OCE schools were found to have 90% of the classes meeting or exceeding their potential in all content areas at every level tested, with 76% to 90% growth rate in all content areas at all grade levels.

In general, students returning to archdiocesan K-8 classrooms this fall are on track academically, amid broader trends of learning loss due to COVID-19 lockdowns – downturns identified by The Brookings Institution as well researchers from Harvard University and other institutions – over the past two years.

Maternity B.V.M. Catholic Elementary School in Philadelphia and Saint Andrew School in Newtown achieved 100% in terms of both growth and exceeding potential.

The full list of schools recognized follows:

Thirty Schools Recognized for Growth and Exceeding Potential

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School (West Grove, Chester County)

Christ the King School (Philadelphia County)

Corpus Christi Catholic School (Lansdale, Montgomery County)

Holy Cross Regional Catholic School (Collegeville, Montgomery County)

Holy Family Regional Catholic School (Aston, Delaware County)

Holy Family Regional Catholic School (Phoenixville, Chester County)

Holy Redeemer School (Philadelphia County)

Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic School (North Wales, Montgomery County)

Maternity B.V.M. Catholic Elementary School (Philadelphia County)

Mother of Divine Grace Interparochial School (Philadelphia County)

Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School (Wallingford, Delaware County)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Elementary School (Doylestown, Bucks County)

Sacred Heart School (Havertown, Delaware County)

Saints Colman – John Neumann School (Bryn Mawr, Montgomery County)

Saints Peter and Paul School (West Chester, Chester County)

Saint Anselm School (Philadelphia County)

Saint Andrew School (Newtown, Bucks County)

Saint Anastasia School (Newtown Square, Delaware County)

Saint Dorothy School (Drexel Hill, Delaware County)

Saint Francis de Sales School (Philadelphia County)

Saint Genevieve School (Flourtown, Montgomery County)

Saint Helena School (Blue Bell, Montgomery County)

Saint Hilary of Poitiers School (Rydal, Montgomery County)

Saint Ignatius of Antioch School (Yardley, Bucks County)

Saint Katherine of Siena Catholic School (Philadelphia County)

Saint Matthew School (Philadelphia County)

Saint Norbert Catholic School (Paoli, Chester County)

Saint Philip Neri Catholic School (Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County)

Saint Pius X School (Broomall, Delaware County)

 

Fourteen Schools Recognized for Growth

Blessed Trinity Catholic School (Philadelphia County)

Blessed Virgin Mary School (Darby, Delaware County)

Holy Family Regional Catholic School (Levittown, Bucks County)

Our Lady of Calvary Catholic School (Philadelphia County)

Our Lady of Port Richmond (Philadelphia County)

Saints Philip and James School (Exton, Chester County)

Saint Albert the Great Catholic School (Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County)

Saint Bernadette School (Drexel Hill, Delaware County)

Saint Christopher School (Philadelphia County)

Saint Isidore School (Quakertown, Bucks County)

Saint Katharine of Siena School (Wayne, Delaware County)

Saint Luke Catholic School (Glenside, Montgomery County)

Saint Patrick School (Malvern, Chester County)

Visitation Blessed Virgin Mary School (Philadelphia County)

 

Eighteen Schools Recognized for Exceeding Potential

Cardinal John Foley Regional Catholic School (Havertown, Delaware County)

Good Shepherd Catholic School (Ardsley, Montgomery County)

Mater Dei Catholic School (Lansdale, Montgomery County)

Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School (Warminster, Bucks County)

Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic School (Swarthmore, Delaware County)

Our Lady of Angels Regional Catholic School (Morton, Delaware County)

Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School (Maple Glen, Montgomery County)

Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School (West Brandywine, Chester County)

Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School (Willow Grove, Montgomery County)

Saints Simon and Jude School (West Chester, Chester County)

Saint Aloysius Parish School (Pottstown, Montgomery County)

Saint Cecilia School (Philadelphia County)

Saint James Regional Catholic School (Ridley Park, Delaware County)

Saint Jerome School (Philadelphia County)

Saint Joseph School (Downingtown, Chester County)

Saint Jude School (Chalfont, Bucks County)

Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic School (Media, Delaware County)

Saint Maximillian Kolbe School (West Chester, Chester County)