Accreditation and Awards

Bishop Chatard High School has met the criteria for educational quality to be accredited by Lumen, offered through The Catholic University of America. Lumen Accreditation blends Catholic values with academic excellence, providing pathways to integrate the Church’s rich heritage of academic excellence and Catholic philosophy. Lumen Accreditation is recognized by the State of Indiana.

Bishop Chatard was named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School in the Exemplary High-Performing Schools category by the U.S. Department of Education. The prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award is awarded based on results of state assessments and/or nationally normed test results and graduation rates. It .. ‘serves not only as a symbol of exemplary American schools but also as inspiration for schools across the nation. It affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students thrive.^{1 1}Read more about the Blue Ribbon Program.

Bishop Chatard was named a Platinum Member of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program Honor Roll in 2023. To earn Platinum status, the College Board requires a school to meet three criteria: expansion of college culture, assistance with college affordability, and optimization of college readiness. BCHS exceeded the required threshold for each of the criteria by:

• Enabling 86% of the Class of 2023 to experience one AP course before graduating (Threshold: 80%)
• Enabling 67% of the Class of 2023 to earn college credit by earning an AP Exam score of 3 (Threshold: 50%)
• Creating opportunities for 31% of the Class of 2023 to take a total of five AP courses across their high school years, with at least one taken in 9th or 10th grade (Threshold: 15%).

Bishop Chatard has been named as one of the 2023 Best Catholic High Schools by Niche.com, giving it an A rating. Niche is among the leading online review websites for schools throughout the United States. It researches K-12 schools and colleges to rate and rank schools. Only 10 percent of schools nationwide receive an A or higher from Niche.

Bishop Chatard has consistently earned a school accountability letter grade of ‘A’ from the Indiana Department of Education. Indiana’s A-F Accountability Model holds schools and corporations to a higher standard and provides a more accurate picture of their performance by incorporating student academic growth and graduation rates, as well as college and career readiness, as measures of success. (2019-2020 is the most recent school year for which IDOE letter grades were issued. BCHS received the award that year.)

Bishop Chatard High School was named a Four Star School of Indiana for the 2017/2018 school year, the most recent year this designation was awarded. This was the sixth consecutive year BCHS has received this honor.

To receive Four Star designation, a school must be in the top 25th percentile of schools in two ISTEP-based categories (Language Arts and Math), and in the top 25th percentile in each grade tested. A qualifying school must have earned the highest designation (A rating) in the state’s accountability system and be accredited by the Indiana Department of Education. A total of 234 Indiana schools received the award for the 2017/2018 school year.

Diploma strength for the class of 2023 as indicated by the IDOE was 98.1% (State average: 90.6%). 99.4% of the Class of 2023 completed a Graduation Pathway. (Source IDOE GPS)

Bishop Chatard High School was recognized by the Indiana Dept. of Education for exemplary performance on Advanced Placement exams. 49.1% of the Class of 2019 received a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam, translating into $71,928 postsecondary dollars saved. That percentage increased to 58.46% for the Class of 2020, translating into $101,232 postsecondary dollars saved. (The Class of
2020 is the most recent class year for which IDOE awards were issued.)

For the Class of 2023, 74.6% passed an AP or Dual Credit exam/course. (State Average is 59.5% – Source: IDOE GPS)

Bishop Chatard was honored as a School of Excellence by the Catholic Education Honor Roll in 2014, a program of the Cardinal Newman Society. The Catholic Education Honor Roll is a national program recognizing schools committed to a strong Catholic identity. Recognized schools commit to and model the Principles of Catholic Identity in Education.

Bishop Chatard High School presents its Achievement Award at the school’s Annual Fund Dinner to honor faculty, alumni, community members, and volunteers who epitomize the Catholic mission and values lived out daily at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis North Deanery High School. Presented annually since 1994, the Achievement Award is Bishop Chatard’s highest non-academic honor. It recognizes the important role the extended community plays in educating, nurturing, and forming today’s students — tomorrow’s leaders.
View our Achievement Award Honorees