Holy Angels Reaccredited by Middle States

Holy Angels is proud to announce that the Academy has once again been reaccredited by the Middle States Association. This multi-year process occurs every seven years and requires extensive research, reflection, and collaboration across the entire school community. Earlier this month, Holy Angels welcomed the Middle States visiting team to campus for a formal colloquium, the final step in the evaluation process. We extend our sincere thanks to our project leads, Principal Jean Miller, Gail Fair, and Brianna Portuesi, for guiding this important work.

 Middle States accreditation is a voluntary, peer-reviewed process that evaluates schools in areas such as mission, ethics, academics, governance, and institutional improvement. It provides public assurance of educational quality, supports credit transfer, and encourages long-term strategic growth. Holy Angels has been accredited by the Middle States Association since its founding in 1919.

For this accreditation cycle, Holy Angels selected Cultural Proficiency as the focus of its self-study. Cultural proficiency reflects our community’s shared responsibility to respect and honor the diverse identities of all students, including their cultural, racial, economic, religious, gender, and neurodiverse backgrounds. Three key questions guided this work:

• How do we teach students to evaluate social issues through an equity and justice lens
• How can we help students understand the impact of words and actions in challenging conversations
• What policies and practices strengthen an inclusive and equitable school environment

In support of this topic, faculty and administrators reviewed curriculum, teaching practices, and student experiences. These efforts included:

• A justice-centered questioning model used across disciplines
• The expansion of Dialogue Rooms that help students practice thoughtful and respectful conversation
• Ongoing employee training related to cultural competency, bias, language, and effective dialogue
• Curriculum updates across departments, including Religious Studies, History, English, Science, and World Languages
• New supports for neurodiverse students through the Student Success Center, CEA, and expanded accommodations
• Growth in student and faculty involvement through the IDEAL Council and Diversity Council

The Middle States reaccreditation affirms Holy Angels’ commitment to mission-driven education that forms young women who lead with integrity, compassion, and respect for all. It also reinforces our continued work in creating a school environment where every student feels valued and supported.