Many people question the wisdom and value of an all girls' school. But intuition,
experience and now research indicate that girls and young women do better in every critical area when they are educated in a single gender school.
Education is the single most important predictor of a successful adult life. An educational environment which nurtures excellence and leadership in girls in all facets of student life; academics, arts, athletics, community service, student government, and much more, gives these young women a measurable advantage over their counterparts in co-ed schools.I refer you to the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, www.ncgs.org, where they cite What the Research Shows regarding The Benefits of Attending a Girls' School. To mention just a few:
- In a Goodman Research Group study of 4,274 girls school alumnae, 83% perceived themselves to be better prepared for college than female counterparts from co-ed high schools, 93% agreed that girls' schools provide greater leadership opportunities than co-ed schools.
- The National Foundation for Educational Research in Britain examined data from almost 4,000 schools and concluded: Girls in single-sex schools perform better than girls in co-ed schools, regardless of socio-economic and ability levels.
- Dr. Rosemary C. Salomone, in her book Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling, writes: "All girls settings seem to provide girls a certain comfort level that helps them develop greater self-confidence and broader interests, especially as they approach adolescence. Research has found that single-sex schools and classes promote less gender-polarized attitudes toward certain subjects - math and science in the case of girls...."
Notre Dame Academy has educated confident, competent, compassionate women who were able to challenge the limiting stereotypes of their time. We will continue to do so.