Holy Family Lutheran School (HFLS) was founded over 20 years ago specifically to provide the opportunity for minority children in Chicago's low-income neighborhoods to receive a first-class education.
Are we succeeding? Consider these facts:
Since 1985, we have stayed true to our mission. Holy Family's '05-'06 population of 150 K-8 students is 100% African-American. 85% of HFLS students reside in Austin, W. Garfield Park, W. Humboldt Park, and W. Lawndale, all four of which are among Chicago's fifteen lowest-income zip codes.
At-risk children need a strong academic foundation, and more. Holy Family provides more by focusing intensely on students' academic, social, emotional, and spiritual development. We seek to educate children not simply for success in a school room but also for later success in work as well as in family and community life.
The table below shows the percentage of Holy Family students scoring above the national mean compared with students from the nearest public elementary school.
| Subject & Grade |
Holy Family
Lutheran School |
Nearest Public
Elementary School |
|
| Reading Comprehension - Grade 8 |
79% |
32% |
| |
|
|
| Math Total - Grade 8 |
93% |
39% |
Special programs include:
- HFLS is a training site for the Adler School of Professional Psychology, with counselors present at the school each Wednesday.
- School-wide, students participate in the Second Step character education program.
- Breakfast and lunch programs are supported by the State of Illinois. 85% of students participate in these programs.
- Weekly chapel services inspire and motivate through rap, song, and storytelling led by well-known youth leader Leslie Hunter, followed up by every student writing a chapel reflection.
- HFLS is a site for the Hope Alive After School Program
Since it's founding, 85% of Holy Family's graduates have enrolled in private and selective public college-prep high schools. This is important! In 2003, the public high school nearest to Holy Family graduated well under half of those who started there as freshmen, a statistic mirrored by most other public neighborhood high schools in the area.
Of Holy Family graduates from 1990 to 2004 surveyed recently, 91% of respondents reported being enrolled in college or having graduated from college. In contrast, 17% of African-Americans in the U.S. over the age of 25 hold a bachelor's degree, according to a 2003 National Urban League report.
In Chicago, just 46% of African-American public high school graduates went on to college from the class of 2004, according to a June, 2005 report published in the Chicago Tribune.
If you want to get involved or help support Holy Family Lutheran
School's mission,
click here.
Holy Family Lutheran School
Cheryl Collins, Principal
Marilyn Hawkins, Dean of Students
4256 West Walton, Chicago, IL 60651
phone 773.227.7572//fax 773.227.7560
Holy Family Ministries
790 Frontage Rd.
Northfield, IL 60093
Phone 847.441.4115//fax 847.441.4116
Email: info@holyfamilyministries.org
