Catholic High School Admissions Process and Timeline - 2024-2025

Prospective families are offered High School Nights, Open Houses, and Shadow Programs to explore secondary school choices. In addition, many schools have started their own weekday Preview Nights which have been highly successful.

HIGH SCHOOL FALL FAIR NIGHT ~ August 2024

Thursday, August 22            Visitation Academy                             5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTATION NIGHTS ~ September/October 2024

6-6:30pm Registration   ♦   6:30-8pm  Three 20-minute school presentations

Wednesday, September 4    St. John Vianney High School            6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Tuesday, September 17       St. Dominic High School                     6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Monday, September 30        Cor Jesu Academy                             6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Thursday, October 10          St. Mary’s South Side Catholic           6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL SPRING FAIR NIGHT ~ April 2025

Wednesday, April 9              Ursuline Academy                              5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

No prior registration is necessary. Families can attend any of the high school programs.

Elementary school principals will receive flyers to forward to their families.

ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATION INTENT PROCESS ~ Tuesday, October 1 through Tuesday, November 12

Initiating the application process requires that an Application Intent Form is completed online. Please note that many individual high schools have a separate application that they require students to complete as well. The Application Intent Form is required for official 8^th grade records to be forwarded to the first-choice school.

The online process will be available for completion between Tuesday, October 1, and Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

To apply, students should go to https://fd2.formdesk.com/stlouisarchdiocese/CatholicHighSchoolApp

HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES ~ See the chart below

APPLICATION INTENT FORMS DUE ~ Tuesday, November 12, 2024

After the November 12 date, all online student information which has been received will be forwarded to the elementary schools for processing records to be sent to the first choice high schools selected by eighth grade students and their families.

The students who are not attending a Catholic elementary or middle school should also complete the online process. After November 13, high schools will receive information about those students and will then contact the families regarding records requests and additional information.

Elementary schools should have their student application intent lists by Friday, November 15, 2024.

RECORDS ~ Friday, December 6, 2024 or earlier

Elementary school principals send their eighth graders’ records - to the first high school chosen by each student.  Records should include: 

      *   standardized ability and achievement test scores

      *   final academic grades for 6^th/7^th and 8^th grade first quarter

      *   attendance records

      *   documents pertaining to evaluations for and diagnoses of disabilities or other special needs (academic, social, emotional, behavioral, physical) as well as documentation pertaining to accommodations and modifications recommended/received.

Checklists, forms or letters of recommendation are not to be written/completed by elementary principals or teachers at any point in the process.

FIRST SEMESTER REPORT CARDS ~ Wednesday, January 8, 2025 

Elementary school principals send copies of first semester report cards to the first high school chosen by their eighth graders. 

SECOND AND THIRD ROUND APPLICATIONS ~ Wednesday, January 15, 2025

If high schools cannot accept applicants, they then forward those applications to the next school listed as soon as possible, so that the other schools can conduct their admissions procedure within the timeline. 

ACCEPTANCE AND NON-ACCEPTANCE LETTERS ~ Friday, January 31, 2025

Friday by noon: High schools mail letters of acceptance and non-acceptance, postmarked by noon.  When they arrive at the students’ homes depends on the post offices serving the high schools and the applicants’ homes. 

Friday after school hours:  Acceptance and non-acceptance letters sent to students via e-mail.

Friday after school hours:  Acceptance and non-acceptance notifications sent to Elementary Principals who are asked to keep the students’ acceptance status confidential until the students receive word directly from the high schools.

** NOTE:   Every high school who reviews an application, no matter the decision, is to send a letter of either acceptance or non-acceptance to every applicant.  If a letter is a non-acceptance, it should tell the family where the application was forwarded either to another high school or the Office of Catholic Education and Formation.

FUTURE GRADES

Friday, May 30, 2025:  Unsuccessful Completion of Eighth Grade:  Elementary school principals notify high schools of any applicants who did not successfully complete eighth grade.

Friday, June 6, 2025:  Second Semester Report Cards:  Elementary school principals send copies of second semester report cards to the Catholic high schools their students will be attending.

Please Remember: 

(1) If a student has not attended the same elementary school for all eight years, please be sure the cumulative record is updated before sending the copy so that all records for grades 1-7 are reflected. 

(2)  All academic records should include educational testing and medical evaluations that specify the need for special education services/building accommodations. 

(3)  If there are potential applicants whose applications and records are being withheld because of outstanding financial obligations, please enclose a note to the high school to that effect. Doing so will indicate to the high schools that there may be more applicants to consider after their financial obligations are fulfilled.

(4)  Keep a record of where each student’s application was sent in order to facilitate future mailings of report cards to the high schools.

Algebra: 

If a student will complete a full year of algebra in eighth grade which would be equivalent to a freshman high school algebra course, please make a note to that effect on the eighth grade report card. Do not include students who may take some algebra topics but not a full year equivalent to a traditional high school course.