Prospective Student Home

Admissions 

Admission Standards for Ninth Grade

 Acceptance into the freshman class of Bourgade Catholic High School is based on the scores a student received on the placement test and/or Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the recommendations of the grade school teachers.

 While Bourgade Catholic is a comprehensive high school, it has a strong college-prep program and more than 95% of Bourgade’s graduates attend college. The majority of the classes offered are College Preparatory classes.  As a result, Bourgade has set the twenty-fifth percentile on the placement test or on the Iowa test of Basic Skills as the minimum score for admission to the freshman class.  Students who rank below this level have special academic needs for which Bourgade Catholic does not have classes.

 In the freshman year Bourgade Catholic has two remedial courses.  After this, students are in the regular program.  Students who score below the fortieth percentile in math are required to take pre-algebra in the freshman year or to attend a summer school program for pre-algebra between the eighth and ninth grade.  Students who score below the fortieth percentile in reading are placed in a special reading class.

Admission to Honor Classes

Placement in Honors Classes is mainly based on the results of the Placement Test and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.   In addition to a score at or above the eighty-fifth percentile on the placement test, other considerations for admission to the honors classes are the recommendation of the elementary teachers, student desire, and actual grades in the class. 

Admission Policies

Eighth graders who place at the twenty-fifth percentile or higher on the placement test or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills are normally admitted to Bourgade Catholic High School.

Transfer students are admitted based on available space and the qualifications of the student.  Transfer students must have the appropriate number of credits, a GPA of 1.70, two solid references, must not have a pattern of truancy, excessive absences or excessive tardiness.

Bourgade Catholic does not accept seniors in the second semester and rarely accepts transferring seniors for the fall term.  Bourgade Catholic does not have a special education program and does not have the requirements to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities or chronic emotional or behavioral problems.  The Administrative Team will make the final decision regarding Bourgade Catholic High School’s ability to meet the needs of individual students.

 All transfer students are accepted on probationary status. Parents must realize and accept this.  A counselor or administrator of the previous school must write a letter of recommendation and send a transcript. Probation includes behavior and academics.  Probation status may be lifted after one full semester.

 A student is not officially admitted until the above requirements have been met.  Failure to provide complete and honest information may result in the student’s withdrawal from the school.  While routine acceptance of a student is completed by the Director of Studies, the Principal approves all exceptions to the usual policy and all rejections of applications.

 Bourgade Catholic High School admits students of any race, creed, color, or ethnic origin.