Junior & Senior High - Aberdeen Roncalli

Roncalli Junior & Senior High

A small school offering a unique Catholic experience.

A one-of-a-kind school built on Catholic traditions, Roncalli offers a positive, prayerful take on private education. Faith is at the center of all that we do, and a prime focus of the experience we offer.

We offer a full variety of activities, fine arts, and athletic programs, so there’s something to fit most every student. We teach STREAM, which is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) but with Religion and Arts added.

With under 600 total students across preK, primary, elementary, junior high, and high school, our class sizes stay small. We maintain a family-like atmosphere as we prepare our students for college, career, and a life spent in spirituality.

Read our Junior High & High School Viewbook for more information.

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Defined by Faith

It is central to everything we do. Each and every day, our students attend religion classes. They pray in class daily, and worship in school-wide masses weekly. Outside the classroom, students practice what they learn through Christian service to the community.

Our commitment to faith is also apparent in the way priests can constantly be found walking the halls, talking to students, and sharing God’s word. As a ministry of Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s Parishes in Aberdeen and under the auspices of the Sioux Falls Diocese, the Church is the defining element of a Roncalli education.

Volunteerism, Retreats and Ministry

Every student, appropriate to their grade, is asked to spend a minimum number of hours volunteering. Half of these hours are spent in service to the church, the other half in the community at large. These include working at a food pantry, the school owned second hand store, shoveling snow, raking leaves, and other jobs.

Starting at 7th grade and continuing through senior year, retreats are a big part of spiritual development at Roncalli. Each class has their own focused time together, either at a local home or one of the two local parishes. This is a special, beloved time for students, when they can grow closer to God.

An area at the school is dedicated to campus ministry. Students come to relax, talk through problems, and build vital relationships.

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All about Academics

Dual Credit Courses

One good way to save money on a college education: earn credits while in high school. Roncalli offers dual credit courses that allow our students to build toward enrollment in South Dakota universities and tech schools. In the case of our 2021 graduating class, 78% of students earned such credits and got a big jump on their freshmen year.

ACT Scores

We’re proud to say our student scores are higher than the statewide and Aberdeen Public School averages. Since 2018 our scores have been at least 2 points higher than the national average!

Laptops

All students grades 7 - 12 receive a Chromebook to use with homework, studying, collaboration, research, and more!

STREAM

Roncalli believes in providing education focused on the principles of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a couple needed improvements.

We’ve heavily invested in STREAM, a curriculum that teaches the essential four disciplines above, but also adds Religion and Arts. To us, this modification leads to well-rounded students and the proper focus on God.

Roncalli is the only PreK-12th STEM certified school in the state of South Dakota.

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Activities for Every Student

92% of students participate in an activity, athletics, or fine arts. We’re also proud of our strong athletic participation rate (89%). Everyone at Roncalli is encouraged to play. At Roncalli, there really is something for everyone. Visit our Teams and Programs page for a full list of athletics, fine arts and activities that are currently offered at Roncalli.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are the backbone of the ACSS. Whether it’s in the classroom, on the athletic field, or in a fundraising event, Roncalli relies on volunteers to help us do what we do. Parents are our most frequent volunteers, and we have many opportunities for them to help.

Visit our Volunteer page for more information

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