2025 National Catholic Schools Week

Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 - Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

Location: Nationwide
Contact: Marguerite Olberts
Phone: (501) 664-0340, ext. 394

This year, Catholic Schools Week is observed nationwide Jan. 26 to Feb. 1. Catholic schools celebrate the week with special Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and the community. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to the Church, communities and the nation.

In Arkansas, we have more than 6,800 students attending 26 Catholic schools statewide. See our school statistics to learn more about our schools. To find out what activities are planned in your area, contact a Catholic school near you. 

The theme for Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” According to the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), this theme represents the fact that "Catholic schools have an irreplaceable role in the Church’s evangelizing mission. Building on the central goal of Catholic schools to form saints, Catholic schools teach and embrace the whole person, body, mind and spirit. The fact that all members of a Catholic school community share the Christian vision of faith that Christ is the foundation of Catholic education is what unites the school as a faith-filled community.

"While faith is the binding element in Catholic schools, the Church reiterates that parents are the first teachers of their children. Holding this tenet, Catholic school communities expand beyond the walls of school buildings to envelop the family as an integral part of the school community. Together teachers, administrators, staff, students and parents fuel the light of faith by integrating culture with faith and faith with living."

Nearly 1.7 million students are attending 5,905 Catholic schools nationwide. Catholic schools educate the whole child, mentally, physically and spiritually through rigorous academic programs rooted in the teachings of the Catholic faith in safe, caring school communities. 

Ninety-nine percent of Catholic school students graduate from high school and 85.2 percent of Catholic school graduates attend a four-year college. This percentage has been consistent for more than 20 years. To learn more, visit the NCEA or see "A Dozen Reasons to Choose Catholic Schools."

For more information about Arkansas Catholic schools, contact Marguerite Olberts, in the Office of Catholic Schools, at (501) 664-0340, ext. 394.