LCSS Graduates Among the Most Prepared in the State of Indiana

Today’s college graduates are expected to change jobs 6 to 10 times throughout their careers, and many will completely change careers more than once. Much of the current thinking in public education is to focus on vocational training, but we should ask, what vocations are we training our students for? Some of the most common jobs today may not exist in 10 or 20 years. The truth is that we need to produce well-rounded students that can learn, unlearn, and relearn at a rapid rate, but who will also remain true to their faith, virtues, values, and work ethic. We believe that our Catholic schools offer the best environment for this type of learning and training to occur.

One of the hallmarks of Catholic Education is the fundamental principle that parents are the primary educators. This ensures parents are involved and engaged. There are many reasons parents choose Catholic schools.  In many urban communities it may be that there are really no desirable public school options, however, that is not the case in Lafayette.  We have a number of good schools that provide sound curriculum, good teachers, high test scores, advanced music programs, new STEM programs, etc. However, LCSS parents understand that education is more than just test scores and vocational training. It is about passing along our faith, values, work ethic, and culture to our children.  

As parents we take our role seriously, and do not take the decision about which school to send our children to lightly. It is difficult to point to any one statistic or even anecdotal story that would give us complete confidence that we have made the right choice. As parents of elementary school children, we worry that we may not know the results of our choices until long after our children graduate from high school. This past May, my oldest child graduated from Central Catholic after attending LCSS schools since third grade. I have a lot of anecdotal information that gives me comfort that we made the best choice. I have also made an effort to talk with many parents we have had the opportunity to get to know over the years, and there is one consistent theme: The Catholic Community that makes up our Lafayette Catholic School System has prepared our children well for life. We are so grateful for this.

While we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on any one report or statistic, it pleases me to share with you a recent study issued by the State of Indiana. This report on college readiness reflects favorably on our Catholic school graduates. The Indiana Commission of Higher Education reported on the Class of 2011 (from all high schools in Indiana) and as shown in the chart below, LCSS graduates are some of the best performing students in the State. This is a great tribute to our teachers in K-12, our parents, and all of our many supporters. This illustrates what we know in our hearts to be true about Catholic education and the preparation we are offering our students.

Class of 2011

High School	% of students attending college	% of students requiring remediation (in college)	Freshman Year GPA
Central Catholic	92.00%	6.00%	2.9
Cathedral	91.00%	14.00%	2.9
Guerin Catholic	90.00%	13.00%	2.7
West Lafayette	87.00%	10.00%	2.9
Park Tudor*	85.00%	4.00%	3.2
Faith Christian	78.00%	25.00%	2.8
Harrison	65.00%	23.00%	2.7
Rossville	60.00%	27.00%	2.5
McCutcheon	58.00%	27.00%	2.5
Benton Central	53.00%	32.00%	2.5
Lafayette Jefferson	52.00%	40.00%	2.3

*Park Tudor is a private school in Indianapolis with annual Tuition and Fees exceeding $19,000 per year.