Catholic Values, Modern Education
At Holy Cross, we take pride in being a leader in Catholic school education in North Portland for 110 years. From our youngest pre-k learners to our emerging middle school leaders, our teachers and administration have rapidly adapted to a changing education environment.
Faith & Service
Holy Cross is proud of its Catholic identity while it respects and welcomes students and families of different faith backgrounds. Students participate and attend weekly Mass and celebrate the seasons of the Church. Our students and families participate in many service projects to help our greater community.
Academics
75% of our teachers hold masters degrees. In addition to our rigorous curriculum, we provide teacher aides in Pre-K through 5th grade, content specialists to support our middle school, and special programs such as Orton Gillingham for dyslexia needs. Small class sizes provide individualized learning.
School Life
We are musicians, athletes, artists, authors, speakers, achievers.... We infuse our curriculum with opportunities to create well rounded students that have the opportunity to pursue their own interests and talents through music, p.e., computers, library, choir, electives, and after school sports.
By Mary Grace Connolly, 6th Grade Ambassador
The evidence is overwhelming: music education leads to improved academic performance. Students who learn an instrument or participate in choir tend do better on tests. In addition, there are other benefits such as fostering creativity and teamwork. Hear from our 6th grade student ambassador, Mary Grace Connolly about our wonderful music program at Holy Cross.
Holy Cross Catholic School is Proudly Diverse
Our Holy Cross community reflects the beautiful diversity of our North Portland neighborhood. Immigrant, native born, refugee, and first generation, a large percentage of our families speak a second language in their homes.
We believe in fostering a catholic school environment that promotes a sense of personal responsibility, respect and reverence
Holy Cross students learn to value and respect differences. We infuse racial justice education and provide opportunities to learn about other cultures, faith and traditions into our every day learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hear From Our Parents
Holy Cross is jewel among Portland schools. When I took my son to visit his Pre-K class before enrolling, he was immediately and spontaneously welcomed by a class filled with the sweetest kids. As the year pressed on with the advent of COVID, we saw how lucky we were. The teaching through the pandemic has been outstanding as has been the communication and organization. - Charli
continually been impressed with the community, the teachers, and the leadership. Our Principal has been a confident leader through the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping our families feeling safe and cared for, our teachers being equipped to be successful at distance learning, and our students being loved. Beyond only our Principal, other teachers and administrators continue to lead our community and reinforce why we call Holy Cross our home. - Kacy
Holy Cross has been an amazing learning environment for our daughter. The individualized approached has helped our child thrive and focus on opportunities to improve in certain subjects. The focus on School Wide Learning Expectations with each student helps them to be well rounded and life long learners. I would recommend Holy Cross as a great school. - Jamie
