Holy Cross School

    HOLY CROSS SCHOOL, 5500 Paris Ave., New Orleans – Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1849, Holy Cross School has the mission of educating the entire student – mind, heart, body and soul.
    For nearly 163 years, this mission has been accomplished through a challenging, yet caring, college preparatory academic regimen that is supplemented by an extensive athletic and extracurricular program for the young men of New Orleans, grades 5 to 12.
    Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, once wrote, “We shall always place education side-by-side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for eternal life.”
    Holy Cross has been a truly metropolitan school in New Orleans’ history, and you will find Holy Cross students and alumni residing in all parts of this great city and beyond. Holy Cross men benefit from the distinctive elements of a Holy Cross education – the “rotating block” schedule, ideal school and class size, an Eighth-Grade Center, a comprehensive student activities program and a wide selection of both honors and Advanced Placement courses.
    All Holy Cross students follow the “rotating block” schedule, which is supported by the one-to-one student laptop program. The daily academic schedule for Holy Cross students in grades 5-12 consists of four, 80-minute classes that rotate around a seven-period course cycle. Professional educational research has shown that by attending four classes daily, students are able to retain and understand academic material to a greater extent than in more traditional models.
    One of the cornerstones of the Holy Cross experience is the concept of family. Holy Cross’ size is supported by the Carnegie Foundation study that recommends high schools break into smaller units so that “teachers and students can get to know each other better.” Small class sizes support Holy Cross’ commitment to know each student as an individual.
    Holy Cross realizes that the eighth-grade year is a pivotal time in a young man’s academic and social development. With this in mind, the school maintains an Eighth-Grade Center. A core team of instructors is dedicated to easing the transition of students from middle school to high school.
    With its emphasis on the whole man, Holy Cross offers one of the most diverse arrays of extracurricular and athletic activities of any school in metropolitan New Orleans. More than 45 clubs are available to students in grades 5-12, from an award-winning robotics team to a highly decorated band program. Students are encouraged to gain experience outside of the academic realm.
    Holy Cross also enjoys a rich history of athletic excellence. Athletes will compete on the eighth-grade, ninth-grade, junior varsity and varsity levels. Holy Cross men represent their gold and blue with pride and valor as they “cheer her in victory and cheer her in loss” in accordance with the Holy Cross Victory March.
    Holy Cross offers college preparatory, honors college preparatory, Advanced Placement courses and dual enrollment programs of study. Students are prepared to explore and expand their academic zeal.
    Through educating the whole student, Holy Cross School continues Blessed Basil Moreau’s philosophy: “The Holy Cross man is a man of faith and honesty, of strength of character through self-mastery, of respect for the Christian family and lawful authority, of leadership in the pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful – that is the Holy Cross Man.”