Irving, Texas (Oct. 18, 2010) –The Highlands School in Irving, Texas, and Pinecrest Academy in Cumming, Georgia have been listed among the top 50 best Catholic secondary schools in the United States. 

The National Catholic High School Honor Roll was announced Oct. 15, 2010. According to the release from the Acton Institute, the purpose of the Top 50 list is “to recognize and encourage excellence in Catholic secondary education.”  The Honor Roll selects schools that “excel in three categories: academic excellence, Catholic identity, and civic education.”

“Being selected among Acton Institute’s Top 50 Catholic Schools in the nation is a real honor especially for the 5th consecutive award cycle,” said Highlands Executive Director John Borley. “The award is a tribute to our founders, priests, consecrated, faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni who make The Highlands School the quality Catholic school that has evolved the past 25 years since the school’s founding.”

“I am gratified that for the 4th consecutive year, the high school at Pinecrest Academy has received this national recognition,” said Pinecrest Executive Director Rick Swygman. “This award is the result of hard work and the mutual collaboration and dedication of our students, staff, faculty, religious, and parents.”

For more information about the Highlands School, go to www.thehighlandsschool.org.  For more information on Pinecrest Academy, go to www.pinecrestacademy.org.

To see a list of the top 50 schools, as well as lists of the 10 honorable mention schools in each category, visit www.chshonor.org . 

The Honor Roll is an independent project of the Acton Institute, an international research and educational organization. The Honor Roll, which is published every two years, has seen over 50 percent of America’s nearly 1,300 Catholic high schools participate at least once.  The best schools demonstrate a balanced excellence, which includes an active Catholic culture, sound college preparation and integration of Church teaching in all departments.  These schools also display sound moral, catechetical and civic formation that prepares students for vocations in the world as political, religious, scientific, and business leaders. For more information on Acton, please go to www.acton.org.