What Makes Us Distinctive

Our success lies within each student. We’re proud to have created an outstanding academic and spiritual program at one of the leading private Catholic schools in the city.

Here’s a sample of some of those initiatives:

• The Atonement Academy has been honored by the Cardinal Newman Society and their nationwide program that recognizes schools committed to strong Catholic identity. We made their Catholic Education Honor Roll (CEHR) in 2008-2011, 2012-2015, and 2016-2021, and were recognized as a “School of Excellence.” We have also been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.

• In 2017, 2018 and 2019, we consistently ranked in the Top 5 of leading national researcher, Niche, and their distinguished list of outstanding private schools. Most recently, in 2019, we ranked #3 on the list of “Best Private K-12 Schools in the San Antonio Area.”

• Both the San Antonio Business Journal and San Antonio Magazine have consistently ranked The Atonement Academy as a top private school in San Antonio. 

• Our lower, middle and upper schools offer an advanced curriculum where students are learning material that is, on average, a grade level ahead of most schools.

• We instill in our students a deep understanding of Catholicism and its rich traditions and values through education, and we augment this through additional efforts such as:

  • Attending daily Holy Mass

  • Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

  • Celebrating solemn Evensong

  • Organizing a bi-annual pilgrimage to Rome for Juniors and Seniors to visit The Vatican

  • Reciting the traditional Stations of the Cross during Lent

  • Learning sacred songs and hymns

  • The opportunity to practice what we preach and reach out to the less fortunate by working at the local food bank and St. Vincent de Paul kitchen

  • Organizing drives for food, diapers, and funding, and doing all that we can to support ProLife efforts on national, state, and local levels

• Our school library is open every day for the entire school day.

• Our highly-effective Accelerated Reading (AR) computer program helps parents and teachers manage and monitor a child’s independent reading practice. It also challenges the student to set goals in an effort to become a more efficient reader.

• Beginning in kindergarten, our students are encouraged to participate in beginner self-identification and learning skills as they read and check out books from the library, based on their own individual abilities. By the end of the school year, most kindergartners are able to read their first book and have accomplished an AR reading level above their grade, or higher.

• By the end of 1st grade, students are able to read beginner chapter books or better.  In addition to accomplishing individual reading goals, many students succeed in scoring a grade above their grade level or higher, which is based on quarterly assessments.

• We offer AP courses for all upper school students and have helped groom ten National Merit Scholar Finalists out of 198 graduates over the last eleven years.

• The average 2019 SAT score for Atonement Academy students is 1195. This is 12% higher than the most recent national average of 1068, according to the College Board which administers standardized tests and curricula.

• We work closely with our upper scholars to prepare them for college. Since the upper school’s inception, our seniors have a 100% college acceptance rate to four-year universities including in-state, out-of-state, and international universities.

• Our music program has been honored by the Texas Music Educators Assoc., and the Texas Private School Music Educators Assoc., for superior performances. Our choir students have performed at Carnegie Hall, Catholic Television, Spurs Basketball games, Rampage Hockey games, and other notable events.

• Our school is purposefully designed to integrate iconic religious images that illustrate our faith.