West Side School Scores High On National Test

Sacred Heart Academy, just down the street from John Ball Park, has finished in the top 20 in the nation on the CLT.

The Academy, which was on the ropes as few as seven years ago, has found its groove with its switch to a classical learning program.

The program which centers its education around the great books of literature and language, has turned the school around. The school also centers its learning around the Catholic faith, requiring its students to attend daily Mass. (That brings back memories!)

The high school class at Sacred Heart recently finished 17th in the nation on the Classical Learning Test, a college admissions test given to students annually.

It was the second year in a row the school has finished in the top 25.

“We are overjoyed to see that our students did so well again this year,” Sean Maltbie, headmaster of Sacred Heart Academy told the Grand Rapids Business Journal. “We don’t ‘teach to the test’ at Sacred Heart. These scores are an organic result of the faith-filled character and work ethic of our students. This is something that our students, their parents and the Sacred Heart faculty have worked hard to develop.”