About
Our Mission
Holy Family Catholic School is a regional school that works with parents to nurture the growth of the whole child — spiritually, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Our school is Catholic — promoting the teachings of the Church and inclusive of diverse cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. We seek to promote the development of these values by:
Fostering a commitment to know, love, and serve God and one another (spiritual)
Encouraging each child to attain his or her fullest potential (intellectual)
Guiding students to become conscientious, successful members of a global community (social)
Respecting and celebrating each child's individuality (emotional)
Promoting a positive attitude towards a healthy lifestyle (physical)
Our Philosophy and Goals
Our school offers a curriculum stressing a challenging standards-driven academic program that seeks to prepare students for the most rigorous courses available in the high schools of their choice; a strong religious education program that equips students with a moral compass to last through their adolescent years and beyond; a climate of mutual respect and responsibility that fosters in students the ability and the will to be the servant leaders of tomorrow, and the educational programs and activities which promote self-respect and positive lifelong attitudes toward personal health and fitness.
Holy Family Catholic School is located in the northwest part of Austin, Texas on a beautiful 20-acre campus within the Texas Hill Country. We serve over 650 students from pre-kindergarten (4 years old) through eighth grade. Our school is an incorporated school, within the Catholic Diocese of Austin, that holds a close association with seven area parishes, offering priority enrollment to qualified students.
Our History
Holy Family Catholic School is the result of nearly 20 years of prayer and perseverance on behalf of families in seven Catholic parishes in the Northwest area of Austin with no parish school. Individuals from these parishes formed a non-profit corporation, North Central Catholic School Corporation, which opened Holy Family Catholic School in August 2000 in eight portable buildings with 158 students and 18 staff members in a temporary location at one of the seven founding parishes. In August 2001, the permanent campus opened on a beautiful 20-acre campus in northwest Austin within a thriving community.
Holy Family has operated fully under the auspices of the Diocese of Austin since 2008. In 2013, the governance structure of the school changed to a President/Principal model with the President overseeing finance, facilities, advancement, and long-range strategic planning for both Holy Family Catholic School and St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School. The school principal oversees the day-to-day operations of their respective school. Both the President and Principal share responsibility for the Catholic identity of the school.
The seven Catholic parishes that support the school are growing rapidly, and Holy Family now serves over 600 students in Pre-K through eighth grades. The growth in this area has resulted in Holy Family initiating the Mission Ready! Growing to Serve capital campaign, which made the development of Phase II of the Master Plan possible. Phase II includes an administration building including a new library and adjacent classrooms, a music building, and a Pre-K building, in addition to an outdoor Pavilion. It is expected to be completed in Spring, 2019.
Our Parishes
Holy Family Catholic School is the result of years of praying and hard work on behalf of families in seven Catholic parishes with no parish school. Those parishes are St. Albert the Great, St. John Vianney, St. Margaret Mary, St. Mary Our Lady of the Lake, St. Thomas More, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. William. The school enjoys a strong personal relationship with the parishes and offers priority enrollment to eligible students from these parishes based on space available. The school relies on contributions of these supporting parishes on behalf of their enrolled students. Our school benefits greatly from the association of the seven parishes, particularly in our celebration of the liturgy. Each week, a priest from one of the parishes joins our school community to celebrate Mass. In this way, we enjoy the unique gifts of each priest as he shares the Eucharist with our students, faculty, and attending parents. Our community is enriched by the support of our priests, and we welcome them at other school activities throughout the year.
Accreditation
Holy Family Catholic School is fully accredited through the Texas Catholic Conference Accreditation Commission, which governs Catholic schools in the state, as recognized by the Texas Education Agency, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). As part of this accreditation system, we meet or exceed all applicable standards and guidelines. Our accreditation ensures that our mission, philosophy, and goals are clearly defined. Decisions about the essential elements of community life, governance, administration and management, personnel, curriculum, student services, and plant and facilities are guided by these accreditation guidelines.
Our curriculum is based on the state's curriculum standards called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). As an accredited parochial school in Texas, these standards serve as a guideline for objectives to be covered within specific subjects and grades. Our school must meet all of these objectives. We are able to extend or exceed these standards when it seems appropriate. We do not take the STAAR test, but a nationally standardized MAP test, in first through eighth grades.
Our religion curriculum is guided by the Diocese of Austin Religious Education Guidelines, which specifies grade level objectives in religion. A Diocesan approved Called to Protect curriculum is integrated into pre-school through sixth grades, and a Chaste Living curriculum is integrated into upper elementary through middle school religion classrooms.