Accreditation

All Archdiocesan high schools and elementary schools are accredited as a system through Cognia. Every five years, the Department of Catholic Schools completes the system-wide accreditation review, which culminates with a visit by a Cognia External Review Team. Each school is evaluated based on the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools. 

Cognia is a performance-based model that:

• Adopts a balanced, systemic approach
• Employs diagnostic tools
• Uses standards, stakeholder feedback, and student performance
• Focuses on evaluating performance

All schools must:

• Meet Cognia Standards for Quality
• Implement continuous improvement process
• Update demographics
• Conduct an Internal Review, which includes:
  • Self Assessment
  • Executive Summary
  • Stakeholder Feedback and Student Performance Diagnostic
  • Improvement Plan
  • Assurances
• Host an External Review once every five years
• Respond to Improvement Priorities in Accreditation Progress Report