Why Families Choose SUA for High School

For more than 110 years, Saint Ursula Academy (SUA) has educated young women with a commitment to excellence and educating the whole person. Saint Ursula graduates build community and a better world in whatever path they choose. They become leaders in business, healthcare, technology, families, faith, service, the arts, and so much more. 

Saint Ursula Academy’s commitment to educating women of faith, integrity, and courage remains steadfast. We are often told SUA graduates stand out and continue to shine above the rest as they go into the world transformed into reflective thinkers, confident leaders, nurturers of themselves and others, and prophets who inspire others and are committed to building a better world. 

We know Saint Ursula Academy can nurture its students and give them the best foundation for the future.  Here are the top 10 reasons families can feel good about choosing Saint Ursula Academy for high school. It is a lot of information with many helpful links. We hope it will help current and future SUA Bulldogs understand the incredible impact this choice makes in a young woman's life!

Academic excellence is the hallmark of a Saint Ursula education. Since opening in 1910, Saint Ursula Academy has remained committed to providing the highest quality education for students. Every student learns to make the most of her unique talents and gifts to become the best version of herself. This year, 7 seniors were recognized by the National Merit Corporation (100+ merit students over  past 10 years) and another student was recognized by the College Board in the National Hispanic Recognition Program. We are also proud of our junior who earned a perfect score on her ACT.  Saint Ursula was proud to win 2021 and 2022 Best of Cincinnati Award in the School category. Saint Ursula Academy is also listed among Newsweek’s Best STEM High Schools in America.

Saint Ursula Academy is a Catholic girls school rooted in the core values of its founders, the Ursulines of Cincinnati Sisters. 4-year religious curriculum is enhanced by the campus ministry engagement and the school’s Academy Alum program, which helps women of faith, integrity, and courage develop in the roles of thinker, leader, nurturer, and prophet committed to building a better world. SUA’s Campus Ministry program gives students the opportunity to grow in their faith through participation in Adoration in the SUA Chapel, Communion Services, Liturgies, Prayer Services, Reconciliation during Advent and Lent, Retreats, the Rosary, Small Prayer Groups, Faith in Action Days, Stations of the Cross, and Student-led Bible Study to name a few. While the culture is rooted in Catholic values, 12% of the student population is not Catholic, but benefit from faith-based personal development programming. 

Students not only learn about their faith but they are also called to live it through our Faith in Action Days.

School-wide Service and care for our earth are also practiced in line with Pope Francis’s calls to action. Saint Ursula is a recipient of the Laudato Si Award from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for the school’s efforts to care for the earth. 

Saint Ursula Academy is proud to be an all-girls school for grades 9-12, which are critical years in a young woman’s formation. Saint Ursula is a founding member of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools since 2016, keeping SUA on the leading edge of education for girls. All girls’ education is important because girls take center stage. Our talented and experienced teachers are knowledgeable about how girls learn and know that an all-girls education is more relevant today than ever before.   Other key reasons to consider an all-girls education include:

          

Students love Saint Ursula Academy’s beautiful 10-acre campus, similar to that of a small college. It gives the girls a feeling of independence while still in a protected environment, which helps them learn skills in preparation for the independence they will have in college. Saint Ursula attracts girls from across the region, and currently has students from 90+ previous schools, in 62 zip codes in 3 states. 

Saint Ursula benefits from its urban location. It is centrally located for easy access from every area of the tri-state, which holds many benefits for students thanks to its proximity to “neighborhood classrooms” like the Cincinnati Art Museum, Eden Park, Playhouse in the Park, The Krohn Conservatory, and attractions in downtown Cincinnati. SUA’s four-bell block schedule allows teachers and their students the opportunity to take advantage of neighborhood classrooms during class time. 

Saint Ursula is intentional about its class sizes with a 13:1 student-teacher ratio and average class size of 19. SUA works to enroll an average of 155-165 students in each grade. This allows the school to provide more personalized attention and support to every student. Your teachers and your counselor will know you by name and learn the best ways to help you be successful. It’s part of the mission of the school to live as Christ calls us, to honor the uniqueness of every individual.

 

Saint Ursula Academy’s Counseling Team is second to none! With a team of 8, plus therapy dog Angelo, the counselor-to-student ratio is one of the lowest, if not THE lowest, in the area. The highly qualified team of counselors supports each student individually at every level of her high school development. From the transition into high school to the college search process and every stage in between, every student receives academic and social/emotional support from the day she steps on campus.

Every student has a minimum of 44 touchpoints with her counselor over her four years, including group, personal, and scheduling sessions. 

To educate the whole person, it’s important to include the student’s family in the education process. That’s why the Counseling Team at SUA also hosts an annual Parent Speaker Speaker series to provide topics that are timely, impactful, and relevant to high school girls.

It’s in the top five comments we hear from visitors, students, and families… SUA is welcoming and feels like home. The sisterhood is real and palpable. Students help and support each other at every grade level. With students coming from every area of the tri-state, all of the girls are looking to make some new friends and expand their horizons. 

For those who are coming alone from their grade school, SUA has a program called Brave Ones to help the transition to high school be a smooth one. 

There are also many many ways to get involved and explore old interests as well as new ones! SUA makes it easy to get involved by offering more than 50 clubs and organizations so students can explore their personal passions, interests, service and performance art. There really is something for everyone at Saint Ursula.

The decision to choose a private, Catholic high school is money well spent and a wise investment in [First Name]’s future.  At Saint Ursula Academy, we work hard to ensure every dollar is spent wisely in support of the students, and year after year, SUA students see the rewards from that investment; rewards in the form of confidence, preparedness for college, leadership skills, modeling faith in action, and in college scholarship offers. Just last year,  92% of the Class of 2022 earned college scholarships totaling more than $23-million for academics, athletics, fine arts, and service. That’s an average of $167,000 per student. It happens every year – Colleges reward SUA graduates for their hard work at a school with a strong reputation for challenging its students.

Some other reasons Saint Ursula Academy is a wise investment:

SUA students love to come to school and learn, plus they are all working with their future in mind. 100% of graduates continue their education in colleges and universities. 

Saint Ursula offers more than 40 STEM courses and electives, and hosts multiple networking opportunities for students hoping to enter science, technology, engineering, and medical fields. 

A Saint Ursula education transforms the WHOLE PERSON, educating young women who are not just well-educated, but are good people committed to using their unique skills and talents to build a better world for all. 

 

Saint Ursula Academy faculty and staff are invested in helping every student achieve success. That starts with a personal relationship with each teacher and is enhanced by counseling support, academic support programs and resources, and experiential learning opportunities. Teachers get to know your name and want you to succeed. That doesn’t mean they will take it easy on you. Challenging a student at just the right level leads to optimal learning and growth and this helps you find success. 

SUA’s 71 talented teachers are strong students themselves. 66 faculty/staff members have graduate or post-graduate degrees. Continuing education and professional development are part of the culture and teachers work hard during time off and during the summer to learn the newest developments in their area of expertise to ensure their students have the best and most up-to-date lessons. 

 

Today’s workforce is global. More and more businesses and companies have connections with employees, vendors, and partners in other countries and cultures. Saint Ursula Academy is educating students to thrive in a global society. 

SUA does that is through more than lessons in the classroom. Students experience the larger world through service to the community and the world. There are also opportunities for travel to explore other cultures. 

Local Student Impact: Volunteering locally as Bulldog Buddy Tutors at area grade schools, Volunteering at several area service agencies, an All-School Food Drive, An All-School Personal Care Drive, Regular mission collections that include education about the charity and its need, Campus Ministry opportunities

Global Student Impact: Travel with World Language classes to countries like France and Spain, service travel to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Tanzania, South Dakota Indian reservation, and Appalachia. Trip to various regions in the world also exposes the student to other cultures. Some recent destinations included Greece, Australia and New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, and more.

Catholic Social Teaching travel is also an option for students with destinations like the Ignatian Family Teach-In, an annual trip to the United Nations in New York, and trips to the Washington DC for the March for Life., 

We work to help each girl develop to her highest potential through meaningful opportunities for student involvement and leadership. Students develop a sense of purpose through involvement in clubs, athletics, performing arts, service, and faith formation. These experiences also prepare them for meaningful involvement in college and beyond.