GREENVILLE — St. Joseph’s Catholic School was named to the top 50 Catholic High School Honor Roll for the fourth time in five years. They are the only Catholic high school in the state to earn this honor.
The purpose of the honor roll, according to its Web site, is to recognize and encourage excellence in Catholic secondary education. In its fifth year of existence, the award judges schools based on academic excellence, Catholic identity and civic education.
In the past, the honor roll has also listed the top 25 schools in each category, but this year reduced the list to include only the top 10 honorable mentions in each category.
Last year, St. Joseph’s was in the overall top 50 and also ranked among the top 25 in academic excellence and Catholic identity. The private Catholic high school also made the top 50 in 2006 and 2004.
In 2005, they ranked in the top 25 in academics but missed the overall top 50.
This year, Texas and Michigan led the honor roll with each state boasting six schools selected, followed by California with four schools.
In its five years, over 50 percent of America’s nearly 1,300 Catholic high schools have participated at least once. This year, close to 300 schools completed the detailed surveys that measure a school’s adherence to the church’s educational mission.
The honor roll is an independent project of the Acton Institute, an international research and educational organization. It is produced in consultation with an advisory board comprised of Catholic college presidents and scholars.
A complete list of the top 50 schools, along with lists of the top 10 honorable mentions in each category, can be found online at www.chshonor.org.