Office – Memphis Catholic Schools

Welcome to Diocese of Memphis Catholic Schools, where we prepare students for life.

We’re happy you’d like to learn more about a Catholic education. For more than 175 years, our schools have a rich heritage of providing a faith-based education to students in West Tennessee. There are 9 parish elementary schools and 1 diocesan High School and one parish unit (k-12) school. Here, you’ll learn more about the type of education our schools provide:

Experience Our Schools

A Catholic education helps parents develop young people who lead by example, serve others and excel academically. Affordable tuition and financial assistance make it possible for any student to experience this development at our schools.

It’s easy to visit one of our campuses or learn more about a school. We welcome you to learn more about the schools your family is interested by contacting each schools directly.

Academics

Students experience strong academic growth through rigorous curriculum, including instruction in core academic subjects and daily religion classes. The programs also integrate arts, health and technology, with honors, dual enrollment and AP opportunities available. Programs for those with special learning needs are offered at many of our schools. Students at all grade levels enrich their experiences by taking part in the camaraderie of sports, clubs and community service projects

In 2018, our graduates outperformed students nationally on every ACT test, and they were awarded more than $22.4 million in merit-based scholarships. Our small class size -which averages from 15 to 25 students – allows each teacher, faculty member and principal to provide a supportive atmosphere where the student feels valued as a part of the school family.

Spiritual Development

Each student’s spiritual development is nurtured through a values-based education that follows the teachings of Christ. Students of all denominations and faiths are welcome, and each student has the opportunity to practice faith virtues through workship and service. In addition to daily religion classes, students may further their spiritual development through adoration, daily prayer and community service involvement.

System Mission Statement

As a part of the mission of the Roman Catholic Church, the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee Catholic School system is committed to preparing students to be courageous and faithful Disciples of Christ by providing a solid spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical formation under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in union with the Roman Catholic Church.

System Belief Statement

Our Catholic Schools System mission is rooted in the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, Sacred Scripture, and Canonical Procedures and these drive all decisions.

The ultimate purpose of our Catholic Schools System is education in the Catholic faith and the salvation of souls.
The success of our Catholic Schools depends upon the commitment of all personnel to high quality standards and expectations along with modeling of Catholic virtues.
Through high academic standards students develop a deep understanding of essential knowledge and skills cultivating their capacity to reason, problem solve, and produce quality work to better serve God and the community.
As Catholic educators we see all of God’s children as unique and aim to meet the diverse needs of our students.
The Mass, the sacraments, Catholic devotions, service, and prayer are essential to the faith formation provided by Catholic Education.
Catholic schools recognize parents and families as the primary educators of their children therefore, effective collaboration and communication as partners in the education of their children is essential to the success of our Schools.
A safe, supportive and nurturing learning environment promotes student achievement.
The implementation of curriculum, design of instructional activities, and the use of assessments are focused on providing learning opportunities and feedback that support student achievement.
The System, as an outreach of the Catholic Church, has an obligation to reach out to the community in the mission of evangelization, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and sharing the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ with all of God’s children.

Click to read:

Five Year System Improvement Plan

Regardless of where you stand on the debate currently raging over school discipline, one thing seems certain: Self-discipline is far better than the externally imposed kind.

Over the years, Catholic schools have been particularly committed to the formation of sound character, including the acquisition of self-discipline. But how well has that worked? We wanted to know whether students in Catholic school actually exhibit more self-discipline than their peers—and if so, what those schools can teach other public and private schools about how it can be fostered.

To lead the study, we recruited Michael Gottfried, Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Jacob Kirksey, a doctoral student at UCSB, helped to analyze the data and co-wrote the report. To our knowledge, theirs is the first study to explore the potential effects of Catholic schooling on elementary students’ self-discipline.

Gottfried and Kirksey analyzed two waves of nationally representative data on elementary school students that were collected as part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten (ECLS-K).

Their analysis revealed three key findings.

Students in Catholic schools are less likely to act out or be disruptive than those in other private schools or in public schools. According to their teachers, Catholic school children argued, fought, got angry, acted impulsively, and disturbed ongoing activities less frequently.
Students in Catholic schools exhibit more self-control than those in other private schools or public schools. Specifically, they were more likely to control their temper, respect others’ property, accept their fellow students’ ideas, and handle peer pressure.
Regardless of demographics, students in Catholic schools exhibit more self-discipline than students in public schools and other private schools. Thus, there is at least some evidence that attending Catholic school may benefit all sorts of children.

It is important to recognize that these findings are not causal. Despite the authors’ efforts to construct a plausible control group, there may be unobservable differences between Catholic and other private school students. Still, the findings suggest three key takeaways.

Schools that value and focus on self-discipline will likely do a better job of fostering it in children.
Other schools have something to learn from Catholics schools when it comes to fostering self-discipline.
We should not underestimate the power of religion to positively influence a child’s behavior—and shouldn’t restrict families’ choices on the basis of religion.

To the extent that school choice programs can widen access to great schools that provide an academic boost and promote self-discipline—Catholic or otherwise—they deserve our eternal support.

Career Opportunities

If you are interested in applying for a career in one of our schools, please click on this link https://cdom.org/careers/