St. Helena Catholic School

Facts Regarding Saint Helena Catholic School

Be Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Like Jesus: St. Helena's guiding principles provide transparent dialogue and clear expectations to our children and a framework in which to address daily challenges. Children learn the important life-long lessons of working hard together with honesty, compromise, and the ability to resolve problems.

Diversity: 50% of our students come from homes where English is the second language. These first generation immigrants come from a wide variety of countries, most of which are Latino. Diversity of background and culture is highly valued and teaches us to see the face of God in everyone and to work with others.

Evidence-based transitions: Saint Helena is one of few schools in Minneapolis with kindergarten through eighth grade housed in the same building. Evidence supports that PreK- 8 schools nurture children’s holistic development as people, provide leadership opportunities, and bolster academic achievements. We have a long tradition in our Kindergarten/Eighth Grade Buddy Program.

Strong Religious Leadership: Fr. Michael Daly is a prayerful, young, and charismatic leader who is fluent in Spanish and a great team player. He is dedicated to the Catholic Faith and to our school. He strives to bring God’s presence to the parents, teachers, staff and children, inspiring hope and peace.

Pacem in Terris: Saint Helena is located in beautiful south Minneapolis near Lake Nokomis, Minnehaha Creek, the Mississippi River, and many city parks. The campus has large mature trees and green space for children to play away from busy streets. Evidence supports the beneficial effects of peaceful  surroundings on the health of children.

Community for the greater good: Saint Helena has the largest fall festival of any public or parochial school in Minneapolis. This celebration and important fundraiser is made possible only because of the church and neighborhood community that support Saint Helena. Children are involved in the hard work required to create the festival, teaching them the importance of working together for a greater good and how dedicated the community is to them.

Saints & Scholars: The school staff and community are dedicated to educating children whose behavior is influenced by the saints while having high academic expectations for all students. Our students have gone on to be valedictorians in a variety of Catholic high schools and received many accolades for their tremendous service. We have an excellent high school graduation rate that hovers at 98% with most going on to college.