Shadowing is designed to assist students in determining the Catholic high school that will be best for them and provides an opportunity for students in grades 7 and 8 to experience a typical high school day. For the 2022-2023 school year, all shadows are required to follow the COVID-19 protocols of the school they intend to visit.
Please call the Catholic secondary school at least 72 hours in advance to schedule a shadowing experience for your child. Shadowing is for students only. Parents may schedule a tour of the building at a later and more convenient time for the secondary school. Shadowing begins in mid-September for 8th-grade students and in January for 7th- grade students. Students are strongly encouraged to shadow before mid-April.
Normally, shadowing visits should be scheduled on days when elementary schools are not in session. This year, high schools are encouraging parents to consider signing their children up to shadow on other days due to the need to control numbers due to COVID-19. Shadowing may be scheduled on days when the elementary school is in session with the completion of a Shadowing Documentation Form, which parents should obtain from their children’s elementary school. The student, parent, and elementary school representative must sign the form prior to the visit, and someone in authority at the high school must sign the form, which must be returned to the elementary school after the conclusion of the visit. The student must complete all missed work as directed by teachers. The day away from school is processed as any other excused absence, as long as these procedures are followed.
Open houses provide opportunities for students and parents to visit Catholic secondary school campuses. Open houses may include tours, special programs, and demonstrations. The format of the open house is interactive, and parents and students will have the opportunity to ask questions. For the open house dates of individual Catholic secondary schools, please refer to the listing of Catholic high schools.
When visiting open houses, all visitors are required to follow the COVID-19 protocols of the school at which they visit.
Students in grade 8 who wish to attend a Catholic high school next year are required to take the Catholic high school placement test. Students take the test at the high school they plan to attend.
The test is scheduled for Saturday, December 10, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The test is free of charge. Students should bring two #2 pencils. Extended time may be granted to students with special needs with appropriate documentation sent from the elementary school to the secondary school.
The placement test helps Catholic secondary schools determine the most appropriate course work and academic path for meeting the needs of individual students and is only one of several tools used for academic placement. There are many variables that help determine whether or not students are accepted into the secondary school of their choice. Taking the placement test does not guarantee admission to a Catholic secondary school.
For the administration of the High School Placement Test, all students are required to follow the COVID-19 protocols of the school at which they take the test.
Acceptance letters and notification of registration will be sent by all Catholic secondary schools in February of each year.