FAQs

8th grade students seeking admission to St. Rita should take our Entrance Exam. The Entrance Exam was held at St. Rita in December 2023. Prospective 8th grade students seeking admission who were unable to make the exam dates should contact Mr. Bill Heaney at bheaney@strita.com for more information.

Additionally, all applicants must submit their 6th, 7th and 8th grade transcripts to the Admissions Office.

While not all students who attend St. Rita are Catholic, we help to develop each student’s relationship with God and his faith. Student Life and Campus Ministry at St. Rita is rooted in our three core values: Truth, Unity, and Love.

Each student takes eight semesters of Theology, attends all-school mass, and celebrates all Holy Days of Obligation. Mass is also offered each morning in the St. Augustine Chapel, which is located within the St. Rita Shrine Chapel. Additionally, on Thursdays, students are invited to a four-minute Novena Prayer to St. Rita, in which we pray for our daily intentions and sing the hymn to St. Rita of Cascia. Prayer is a focal point of the school day as well, as we pray several times every school day.

St. Rita administers the full HSPT (High School Placement Test) which includes the Cognitive Skills section (Verbal and Quantitative) along with the Basic Skills section which includes Reading, Math and Language. Students must bring a $25 test fee and two #2 pencils to the Entrance Exam. Calculators are NOT permitted. Peterson’s, Barron’s and Princeton Review all publish study guides for the HSPT.

For free online HSPT practice questions click here.

Please note: Students who have an IEP, ICEP or 504 Plan may be allowed additional testing time on the Entrance Exam. You must send St. Rita a copy of your accommodation plan prior to the Exam date for approval for additional time.

Yes, but your son's first choice for a high school is the school he needs to test at for the Entrance Exam. We will accept transferred test scores, but our first priority is for the students who tested at St. Rita on the Entrance Exam date. To receive any academic scholarships you need to test at St. Rita.

Tuition for the 2023-2024 School Year is $13,900. There is a $500 registration fee for all St. Rita students.

Complete tuition details can be found here.

Yes, St. Rita annually awards approximately $1.4 million per year in need based financial aid and scholarships. Academic Scholarships are awarded to students who have a score of 85 (National Percentile) or higher on the St. Rita Entrance Exam. Learn more about our scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

The goal of the St. Rita Admissions and Financial Aid Offices is to make a St. Rita education affordable for any student/family that wants to experience it. We do our very best to make that possible.

Ritamen are placed in an academic program tailored to meet their needs and are placed into classes upon performance in individual subjects. Therefore, a student may be placed in the Augustinian Academy level for some classes and the Mendel Academic Program for other classes. It is the goal of St. Rita High School that all students in the Fr. James Green, O.S.A. Academic Support Program will take classes at the Mendel Academic Program and Augustinian Academy levels. St. Rita’s course of studies will challenge each student to fully develop his intellectual talents.

Enrollment for incoming freshmen in each of the programs is based on Entrance Exam scores, 6th, 7th & 8th grade report cards, discussion with their 8th grade teachers and parental input.

St. Rita academic programs offer a great deal of flexibility. Each year a student’s schedule is designed based upon his current academic progress. Thus, students are able to move between programs to meet their academic needs.

98% of our graduates go on to attend a college or university of their choice (the vast majority to a four-year college). In the Class of 2023, graduates earned over $31+ million in college scholarships. Of the $31+ million earned last year, over 80% of that amount was academic and merit-based awards. In the last five graduation classes, Ritamen have earned over $100+ million in scholarships for colleges and universities across the country.

Graduates of St. Rita are currently attending institutions such as the University of Chicago, the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, University of Illinois Urbana, Purdue University, Villanova University, Saint Louis University, Marquette University, Indiana University, University of Nebraska, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri-Columbia, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, University of Dayton, Illinois State University, Loyola University, University of Tennessee, University of North Carolina, Davidson College, Tulane University, Drexel University, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama, Xavier University, Wyoming University, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, University of Tampa, University of Oregon, University of New Mexico, Miami (Ohio) University, Clemson University, University of Arizona, the United States Naval Academy, Army West Point and many more!

Additionally, in the last seven classes, graduates have gone on to institutions such as Northwestern University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Texas A&M University, University of Hawaii, Boston College, Pepperdine University, Duke University, Yale University and many other prestigious schools.

Our school is located at 7740 S. Western Ave. in Chicago. Our campus is close to neighborhoods such as Beverly, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park, Bridgeport, Garfield Ridge, West Lawn, etc.

Yes. St. Rita offers many transportation options for students including Metra Rail, CTA, and private bus service. St. Rita has (6) private bus service routes to Lincoln Park/Lakeview, Bridgeport/South Loop, Southeast Suburbs, Indiana, Western Suburbs, Garfield Ridge, Clearing, Midway, Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Mount Greenwood, Beverly, Blue Island and many other areas. Routes are redrawn each year to meet the needs of our students.

Prospective students and parents who have questions about St. Rita High School Transportation may contact:

Mr. Adriane Grigg | Transportation Coordinator

(773) 925-6600 ext. 6561 agriggs@stritahs.com

The average class size for the 2023-24 school year is 21 students. In AP classes the average class size is 18 students.

Each year St. Rita offers between 85-105 different kinds of classes. In the 2023-2024 School Year St. Rita offers 57 elective classes, 18 Advanced Placement classes and 28 online classes.

St. Rita offers several rigorous programs of study which prepare students for the next step in their educational development. The courses in these programs stretch students to grow in many ways. We also hope to inspire them with interesting and cutting-edge electives which promote post-secondary planning.

Our Augustinian Academy offers courses at the AP and Honors level. Our Mendel Academic Program offers college prep courses that are rigorous and provide all the essential tools for success at the college level.

The Fr. James Green, O.S.A. Academic Support Program is a customized learning resource program designed to meet the needs of students with documented learning differences who demonstrate the potential to succeed in a college preparatory program. This program provides an opportunity for students to receive individual attention, tutoring, mentoring, and help with study skills that are necessary for secondary and post-secondary success.

School begins at 8:20AM everyday. All school days conclude at 2:35PM.

Yes, St. Rita students adhere to the following Dress Code:

Pants* – Dress pants that are Khaki, Black or Grey with a belt.

Shirt – St. Rita Polo Shirt (Red or Blue)

Shoes – Brown or Black dress shoes.

Students wear a St. Rita button-down shirt and tie on Mass days.

Students may wear a quarter-zip or track jacket with a St. Rita logo (polo shirt must be seen beneath the top layer).

*During the warmer months students are permitted Khaki shorts with a belt, along with Gym shoes and a St. Rita Polo Shirt.

On St. Rita’s 37-acre campus, facilities include: (2) Chemistry labs, (2) Biology labs, (2) computer labs, (30) classrooms, an Art studio, the Van Leuven Family Research Center, the McCarthy Student Center, a 1,500-seat capacity Gymnasium, full-scale fitness center, wrestling room, 5-lane swimming pool, dining hall, athletic training & rehabilitation room, (3) locker rooms, (2) baseball fields, (2) practice football fields, FieldTurf playing surface on Cronin Field at Doyle Stadium (installed in 2014) for all sports, 8-lane track at Doyle Stadium, and at the heart of all things at St. Rita, is the beautiful St. Rita Shrine Chapel. There is also our on-campus St. Rita Monastery where (4) Augustinian priests and brothers live. Finally, there are (3) parking lots and enough space on our campus to accommodate several hundred vehicles for athletic and other events.

Recently opened in the 2018-19 School Year were significant campus upgrades, including a $2.4 million fitness center (the Mrozek Family Fitness Center), a new baseball locker room (the John McNicholas Baseball Clubhouse), a brand-new gym floor and bleachers, and air conditioning installed in our school's dining hall.