Our Commitment to Diversity

Diversity at Sacred Heart Schools
Our commitment to diversity is rooted in the philosophy of our foundress, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and in Sacred Heart's 134-year history of making education accessible to children of all backgrounds. Grounded in the Goals and Criteria, we believe that a Sacred Heart education inspires all members of our community to cultivate an understanding and respect for a variety of cultures, perspectives, religions and life experiences.

• We are committed to welcoming, recruiting, admitting, educating and supporting children and families from a diversity of cultural, racial, ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds.
• We believe that when children learn and play with others who are different from themselves, their lives are enriched.

Religious Diversity
Sacred Heart Schools is an independent, Catholic school that welcomes children of all faiths. 21 faiths and denominations are represented in the student body. Sixty to 70 percent of the student body is Catholic. Thirty to 40 percent of students come from from a wide variety of faith traditions, both Christian and non-Christian.

Racial, Cultural and Ethnic Diversity
During the 2009-10 school year, the Schools enrolled 121 students of color. SHS students and parents hail from 35 different countries and about 10 percent of our students speak 26 different languages at home. Countries represented include Afghanistan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peoples Republic of China, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Yemen.

Economic Diversity
Our commitment to financial aid continues to grow. Collectively, students attending with the help of financial aid represent 20% of our enrollment. Each year funds are set aside to help underrepresented groups.

Geographic Area Served
Students come from approximately 36 zip codes throughout the Chicago area, ranging from Hyde Park in the south to Wilmette in the north. Approximately 40% of the student body comes from Lincoln Park and Lakeview.