Academics

Curriculum

Curriculum may be defined as “all the guided experiences of the child under the direction of the school.” It includes the content of courses of study; it embraces the development of the whole child, insofar as this is within the scope of the school.

HFCS offers an exceptional academic program provided by dedicated, degreed personnel. The curriculum consists of religion; math; science; social studies; total language arts; physical education; health; computer skills; music and fine arts.

Standardized Testing

At Holy Family School we use the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) to test the progress of our students. We do testing quite early in the school year so that we can use the results to help us assess student strengths and weaknesses and then our teachers can strategize how to meet those needs during the coming year. The test is administered to students in grades 3rd-8th during the 3rd week of the school year.

The average HFCS student performs well above his or her grade level relative to the national sample. These positive results are a testimony to the families that send students to HFCS, to the community in which they are raised, and to the school. The results illustrate the fact that the average student performs progressively better with respect to the ITBS national sample the longer they attend HFCS.

The ITBS 2024 Test Results below illustrate the English Language Art and Math performance of our 3rd-8th grade students for the 2024-25 school year.

ITBS 2024 Test Results

_HFCS ITBS Grade Equivalent 2024 - Sheet1

Read more about ITBS Here

The ITBS test has been in existence for 70 years and was developed at the University of Iowa. More research has been done on this set of tests than any other wide range achievement test. The test is given in all 50 states to over 2 million students each year. Both private and public schools use this test, and in some states, it is the required assessment. Among Catholic schools, more choose ITBS than any other achievement instrument.