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All 10 diocesan schools are starting the academic year with a new five-year accreditation by a leading international accreditation agency, student enrollment is expected to be up again, strong administrations and faculties are in place, academic achievement scores also are strong, and COVID may finally be under control.

The Diocese of Knoxville has announced that its 10 Catholic schools have met the standards of excellence for system reaccreditation by Cognia, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers.

Diocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools have once again passed a rigorous accreditation review process.

Bishop Richard F. Stika has appointed Deacon Hicks Armor as interim Head of School for Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga.

The Diocese of Knoxville has been serving students with special learning needs for more than 20 years. “We’ve had huge successes with meeting the learning needs of all of our students,” Dr. Prater said.

In its 37th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade on Jan. 11 announced Devyn Dunn of Knoxville Catholic High School as its 2021-22 Gatorade Tennessee Volleyball Player of the Year and on Jan. 31 announced Keegan Smith of KCHS as its 2021-22 Gatorade Tennessee Boys Cross Country Player of the Year.

During Catholic Schools Week, students from kindergarten through 12th grade in Diocese of Knoxville schools participated in an essay contest, writing on what Catholic school means to them and the impact of Catholic education in their lives.

Dominican Sister Maria Kolbe leads after-school woodworking club at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge.

The Catholic Schools Raffle supports the ten Diocese of Knoxville Catholic schools and the Tuition Assistance Fund.

When Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga opened its doors in August, students found a new learning experience waiting for them. That’s because OLPH has added a special kind of classroom called a “SmartLab.”

Diocese of Knoxville schools are reporting a healthy 7.8 percent increase in enrollment as the 2021-22 academic year gets underway, which bucks a trend among some Catholic school systems that are seeing decreasing enrollment.

Notre Dame High School has new president. NDHS, Sacred Heart, and St. Mary Oak Ridge have new principals.

Bishop Richard F. Stika offers a statement on the use of masks in diocesan Catholic schools as the school year begins.

In a move that reflects a new strategic direction for Catholic education in the Chattanooga region, Notre Dame High School is excited to announce the appointment of two new school leaders with proven success in their respective roles.

The Black and Indian Mission Office in Washington, D.C., has announced the awarding of a $15,000 scholarship grant toward tuition assistance for Black students at Notre Dame High School, which has 49 Black students in a student body of 380.

Father Brent Shelton is both a student and a teacher, which explains his love for education. Catholic education in particular.

It’s been one year since a novel coronavirus arrived, closing schools, introducing the concept of “social distancing,” and even suspending the public celebration of Mass. For the eight Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville who teach in Diocese of Knoxville schools, it’s been a year of uncertainty, adjustment, and even opportunity.

The Diocese of Knoxville and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga are excited to announce that Kyle Schmitt has been hired as the new president of NDHS. He will begin his duties in July. 

Dr. Sedonna Prater, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Knoxville, on Catholic education and Catholic Schools Week

Winners for the Diocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools' Raffle were picked Jan. 12. The annual raffle raises money for the schools and for the diocesan tuition assistance program.