Frequently Asked Questions

Is Saint Theresa Catholic School accredited?

Saint Theresa Catholic School has full accreditation status under the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department. We have also been awarded full membership status by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, a distinction that we are honored to have obtained.

How do I apply for admission?

Applications are available to fill out online for new families. For any questions regarding your application, please call (281) 494-1157, or you may email us at: wabraham@sttheresacatholicschool.org. Make sure to include your full name, your child’s name and grade, as well as your phone number to assist us in responding quickly to your inquiry.

What are the criteria by which an applicant is granted admission into STCS?

Priority enrollment for limited seats is given to parishioners of Saint Theresa Catholic Church. Members of other Catholic parishes are then considered. We do accept non-Catholic students— however, our primary responsibility is to make an STCS education available to the Catholic community we are commissioned to serve.

What are the steps in the application process?

The application process is the same for all families, and consists of five basic steps:

• Prospective families fill out and submit an online application form and submit the application fee to Saint Theresa Catholic School.
• A student applying for admission into the 2nd through 8th grade will take an entrance exam as part of the admissions process. You will be contacted by the school once your application is complete.
• The Headmaster reviews the application and requests an interview with the parents and prospective student. Younger students—those applying for Pre-Kindergarten through First Grade—will have an interview with the Headmaster and the grade-level instructor in place of an entrance exam.
• The School may grant provisional acceptance to a student after the initial interview. A notice of the admission decision will be transmitted to parents via email and a hard copy letter mailed to the family’s home address.
• A student moves to full acceptance when both of the following conditions are met by the parent: a) first tuition payment is submitted to the school through FACTS within ten days of being granted provisional acceptance; and b) one or both parents attend a parent orientation conducted by the Headmaster for all new parents of the school. The dates of orientation sessions are posted in the Admissions section of the STCS website.

Does my child have to take an admissions exam?

We do not test children who may be entering Pre-K3 through 1st grade. These students sit for an interview with the Headmaster and the grade level instructor instead.  Children who wish to enroll in 2nd through 8th grade must take an exam as part of the admissions process.

How much is the fee to apply to STCS?

The admissions application fee is $150 and must be submitted in full in order to complete the application process. This fee is non-refundable.

What are the age requirements for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten?

Students entering the Pre-K3 class must be 3 years old on or before September 1st. Students entering the Pre-K4 class must be 4 years old on or before September 1st. Students entering the kindergarten class must be 5 years old on or before September 1st. Students entering first grade must be 6 years old on or before September 1st.

How much is tuition?

The 2017 – 2018 tuition is as follows:

Pre-K 3 & Pre-K 4:     Parishioner                  $7,000

Pre-K 3 & Pre-K 4:     Non-parishioner          $8,050

Kindergarten—8^th:      Parishioner                  $8,270

Kindergarten—8^th:      Non-parishioner          $9,777

Please refer to the Admissions page for additional information related to tuition and fees.

Can Grandparents who are registered in the Parish count for a student’s parish residence?

Yes, grandparents can function in that manner; however, this principle is not to be extended to other relatives or Godparents.

Does Saint Theresa Catholic School offer Tuition Assistance?

Yes, Saint Theresa Catholic School is committed to making an outstanding classical and Catholic education as affordable as possible. When you apply for admission, you will fill out an online form (the Grant & Aid application) that helps us objectively assess your financial need. The number of children you intend to enroll is a key factor in assessing financial need. There are two forms of tuition assistance available at Saint Theresa Catholic School: Archdiocesan and institutional need-based assistance.

How does one pay tuition at Saint Theresa Catholic School?

Saint Theresa Catholic School uses FACTS (Fast Automatic Cash Transfer System) to manage tuition payments. FACTS is a tuition management company that works to assist the Headmaster in managing the tuition payment process. All parents must register with FACTS as part of the application process. Families who pay in full for the year in one disbursement are not required to pay the service fee of $45 charged to parents who pay monthly. Those who choose to pay monthly (on a 10-month payment plan) work directly with FACTS. Tuition payments on this plan are due on the 5th of every month. Tuition payments are ordinarily non-refundable.

How do STCS students perform on standardized tests?

Saint Theresa students have some of the consistently highest standardized test scores among area private schools.  It is not unusual for class averages to be in the 90^th percentile or higher for a given test subject.  In addition, our students take top honors in academic competitions across the Archdiocese, and within the greater Houston area.

Where do graduating students attend high school?

100% of our graduates have been accepted to their top pick high schools, including  such select private schools in our area as Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Saint Agnes Academy, Saint John’s School, Saint Thomas High School, Saint John XXIII, Incarnate Word Academy, Episcopal High School, Awty International, Houston Christian High School, and Fort Bend Christian Academy. Some students also choose to attend public schools after attending STCS, where they perform well above average, since the foundation we provide is about two grade levels ahead of most curricula.

What is Catholic Classical Education?

The approach to education that has been most popular in America since the late 1960s has focused almost exclusively on presenting lists of facts to students that they are expected to memorize and recite back to a teacher.  In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans developed a system of education that focused on analytical thinking, being well-rounded, and focusing first on your character.  This tradition gave the world such luminaries as Plato, Aristotle, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas—and it is alive and well today at Saint Theresa Catholic School.  For these reasons, every student is steeped in number theory, Latin, Liturgical Music, Art, and Literature.

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the education that was appropriate for citizens was liberating, or freeing—which is why we still refer today to liberal arts education when we talk about learning in this same tradition.  The main idea behind this educational model is that human beings are unique in Creation by being able to choose how they will shape themselves: good choices lead to a blessed life, through the formation of solid and reliable character.  At STCS, we study the best ideas that men and women have formulated through the centuries, and urge our students to strive for and to consistently be their best selves.  This emphasis is primary to the educational process in a classical school, superseding the occupation with merely learning facts, without a consideration of the moral and existential implications of human action.  Consistent with our mission, we lead students in the pursuit of virtue, striving “to form students who have a genuine love of God and the Church and who are prudent, compassionate, kind, courageous, and generous in their service of one another and to others.”

This form of education is time proven to yield impressive real world results for students today.  Equipped with this foundation, STCS students:

• Score consistently high on standardized tests
• Focus first on being a good person, a good citizen, and a disciple of Christ
• Earn a seat in their top-pick high school upon graduating
• Perform well above grade-level expectations in Mathematics and Reading

Is Classical Catholic Education only appropriate for certain types of students?

No. Aristotle wrote “all men desire to know.” At Saint Theresa Catholic School, we nourish our students’ innate desire to understand their world by pointing them to the answers that the first philosophers formulated to eternal questions about the secret to human happiness. The pursuit of virtue is the key to human existence, and our students wrestle with these “large” questions early and regularly.  This kind of learning does not exclude practical knowledge, but places all things in the context of God’s love for us and His desire to see us use our gifts to become a blessing to ourselves and to one another.  Everyone wants to know what she or he can do to lead a happy and productive life.  By contemplating what is good, true, and beautiful—subjects attractive to all active minds and hearts—our students take up their practical studies in a framework designed to show them that they are created for greatness, intellectually, morally, and socially.

Why do STCS students study Latin?

For millennia, Latin has been the seminal language of the Western Intellectual Tradition and remains the official language of the Catholic Church. Here are some other reasons why the study of Latin helps STCS students stand out and excel academically:

• Latin is the foundation of all of the Romance Languages, since 80% of the words and roots encountered in French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese are taken directly from Latin.
• About half of the words in English are borrowed directly or indirectly from Latin.
• Students who study Latin are not only proven to perform substantially better on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, but they also have an advantage in preparing for professional careers in law and medicine since legal and medical terminology are drawn frequently from Latin words and concepts.
• Latin assists our students in the mastery of English grammar, as they learn the parts of speech in an inflected language.
• We also teach Latin because we want to foster the enculturation of our students through the study of Latin literature. Our students study Latin grammar in Kindergarten through 4th grade, and in 5th grade they begin to read works in the original Latin. It is our intention to develop a lifelong appreciation and consideration of Western literature and culture.

Why do STCS students study Liturgical Music?

Traditional Chant and schola pieces were the foundation of worship and praise in the early Church down until the mid-1900s.  With twenty centuries of tradition and inspiration to draw upon, our students are exposed to the full riches of the Church’s liturgical heritage.  We also believe that the concepts involved in the study of music, including note values, rhythm, and melody, assist students in learning mathematic and grammar, as they are exposed to the “logic and language” of musical notation.  We accomplish this process through the use of The Ward Method, a vocal music curriculum devised by Justine Ward in 1913.  In addition to teaching modern musical notation and song, the Ward Method is unique in that it teaches students how to sing Gregorian chant.

What Math curriculum do you use?

We use Singapore Math Series Pre-K4 through 8th grade. The standardized Math curriculum of Singapore has attracted international attention because of its consistent track record of success. The curriculum has been implemented in numerous American schools with commendable results. Singapore Math develops a conceptual understanding of Math and excellent problem solving skills through a strong curricular connection between concepts and manipulatives.  In addition, qualifying students are eligible for our Advanced Math Program starting in 4^th Grade.  Please feel free to ask for more information if you think you’d like to know more about our Advanced Math Program.

What if my child has a documented learning disability? Can he or she handle the rigors of an STCS education?

On average about 20% of STCS students have some form of academic accommodation in place.  We really do mean it when we say that a Classical and Catholic education is for everyone!  Every parent must choose the educational environment that they believe will enable their son or daughter to flourish. For students with significant learning disabilities, a good public school is often hard to beat. However, for common learning disabilities, the small class sizes, individual attention, and collaborative learning environment found at Saint Theresa Catholic School can be the key to a motivated student’s academic success. Our family environment gives parents access to the teachers and the Headmaster as they work together for the good of all of our students. At Saint Theresa Catholic School, we are open to the educational recommendations suggested to us by expert learning clinicians and are able to make accommodations, in most cases, for students who have specific learning differences, especially for engaged students with supportive parents.

What are your typical class sizes?

At Saint Theresa Catholic School we are committed to keeping the teacher student ratio as low as possible to maximize student learning. Our average class size is 20-22 students.  Larger classes for younger students feature an Instructional Aide to support close personal attention for all students.

What instructional technologies do students have access to in the classroom?

Our campus has robust Wi-Fi access for all students, who benefit from classrooms fitted with a number of key devices, but also regular access to Chromebooks for research, word processing, data analysis, and in learning key software systems. We want our students to be as comfortable with modern technology as they are in using a pencil.

What is the schedule for Pre-K3and Pre-K4?

For families seeking part-time instructional options for Pre-K 3, we can accommodate their needs, but we give preference to families seeking full-day instruction.  Students in Pre-K4 and beyond benefit from a full day of learning.

Does Saint Theresa Catholic School offer sports?

Saint Theresa Catholic School, like all other schools belonging to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, is a part of Greater Houston Catholic Athletic Association (GHCAA). We are also members of the West Houston Christian Sports Association. STCS offers soccer, basketball, baseball, and track and field teams for boys and girls, and, in addition, offers volleyball for girls.

Does Saint Theresa Catholic School offer additional Enrichment Programs?

Yes, Saint Theresa Catholic School offers afterschool opportunities for students in dance, music (including voices, violin, piano, guitar, and other instruments), Chess, and languages such as Spanish and Italian. Co-curricular leadership opportunities include an active National Junior Honor Society chapter, Student Council, and service learning through our House system.

Is there a parent organization at Saint Theresa Catholic School?

Yes.  If you intend to enroll a child at Saint Theresa Catholic School, we invite you to join! The Saint Theresa Association of Parents (STAP for short) plays an important role in the ongoing development of our school. In addition to facilitating healthy communication between parents and school leadership, STAP helps arrange family and student retreats, coordinates parent volunteers for various events, and assists with planning and hosting major school fundraisers each year.