By AlaskaWatchman.com

When it comes to private education in Alaska, Holy Rosary Academy in Midtown Anchorage is the very best. This according to the latest national rankings of private schools across America.

Elementary age students at Holy Rosary Academy sing during a school concert in Anchorage.

Holy Rosary was recently featured in U.S.A. Today after the K-12th grade school was listed by Niche as the top private school in Alaska.

Niche surveyed more than 24,000 private school across the nation. The rankings provide an in-depth analysis of the quality of a given school, allowing parents and students to find the best fit for their individual needs.

An independent private Catholic school that was founded by parents in 1987, Holy Rosary now has 147 students with a student-teacher ratio of 9 to 1. According to Niche, 100% of graduates go on to attend a four-year college.

The school was given an “A” score by Niche, which ranks private schools based on average SAT and ACT scores, the rank of the colleges that students are most interested in or go on to attend, college enrollment, culture and diversity, student-teacher ratio, and parent and student surveys.

A Holy Rosary students attempts to score a goal during a soccer match.

The average SAT score for Holy Rosary students is 1250. Elementary tuition is $7,650 and upper school tuition is $9,250, but financial aid is available and tuition discounts are offered for families with multiple students enrolled.

According to the school website, Holy Rosary began as a group of homeschooling parents, and eventually became Anchorage’s only K-12th grade independent Catholic school. While separate from the Anchorage-Juneau Archdiocese, it operates with the blessing of the archbishop. The school exists to assist and complement parents as the “primary educators,” and it is open to students of all faiths.

“Students learn to live a vibrant Catholic life through attendance at Mass, prayer, study, camaraderie, and apostolic work,” the school website states.

Holy Rosary high school students take part in the annual school play.

Teachers employ the basic tools of the Trivium, a course of study that follows the three-lane path of grammar, logic, and rhetoric derived from the classical Greek system of education.

“The Trivium honors the natural stages of children’s intellectual development: developing memory (grammar), sound reasoning (logic), and communication skills (rhetoric),” the website notes. “Surrounded by well-qualified and faith-filled faculty and staff, the students are prepared to pursue their vocation and continue a lifelong love of learning.”

Holy Rosary is accredited by the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools, and is listed as a “School of Excellence” on the Cardinal Newman Society’s Catholic Education Honor Roll.

In addition to academics the school offers soccer, volleyball, wrestling, basketball and track, as well as music, theater, art and other activities.

Click here to find out more about Holy Rosary Academy.

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Holy Rosary is Alaska’s top private school in national ranking

Joel Davidson
Joel is Editor-in-Chief of the Alaska Watchman. Joel is an award winning journalist and has been reporting for over 24 years, He is a proud father of 8 children, and lives in Palmer, Alaska.


7 Comments

  • April Smith says:

    Too bad I would have to live in Anchorage to send my kids there. Anchorage is a nightmare.

    • Glenn M Biegel says:

      Glen here. Board member. We have a folks commuting and ride sharing from the Valley now. Please call 276-5822 for info.

  • Jen says:

    Don’t forget how the Parents, and grandparents, contribute to their childrens academic and spiritual well-being. Teachers have great influence on children. But! Parents, and grandparents, have a Greater influence and impact on why the Holy Rosary teachers have an easier time implementing the curriculum when the children arriving are already tame and not so wild.

  • Proud Alaskan says:

    This school is awesome
    Because of Gods word being taught in school
    None of this woke bull crap

  • Glenn M Biegel says:

    I have 6 graduated from HRA, 3 in school now. If you ask how your children can grow up with your culture, values, and a good education, then HRA is the answer. It’s been a blessing for me and my family.

  • Herman Nelson says:

    I’m curious to how this stacks against to what the ASD is producing in product (students). Holy Rosary gave us their hard numbers of what it takes to produce one successful student. What are the dollar figure per student for the ASD? (Yes, it’s a very loaded set of questions to prove the ASD is squandering tax dollars)

  • Perplexed Alaska says:

    Holy Rosary Academy is Alaska’s top private school in national ranking. My daughter got a fantastic start there. Didn’t Elmer Rasmusen purchased those duplexes on the HRA campus as a gift to HRA? I’m sadden the Archbishop is forcing HRA and its parents to kiss his ring. I miss Archbishop Hurley.