There are many reasons to choose Saints Peter & Paul.  What follows is an outline of some of the top reasons. 

A Jesus School
In the words of former principal Sister Mary Lucilla, “This is a Jesus school! This is holy ground!  Jesus Christ is the reason for our school!  We follow Jesus’ example in everything we do here.”  The Catholic identity of Saints Peter and Paul is second to none.

SSPP Students Graduate Well Prepared for High School
We’re very proud of the fact that the vast majority of SSPP Students go on to attend the Salpointe, St. Augustine, or San Miguel Catholic high schools.  The most common public school destination is University High School.  For example, of last year’s 49 student 8th grade class, 41 students are going to Salpointe, 3 students are going to St. Augustine, 2 students are going San Miguel, and 3 students are going to University High School.  No matter where they go, SSPP Students enjoy a strong reputation for being well prepared to excel at the social and academic challenges that high school presents.

Location…Location…Location
It’s not where you live, it’s where you work.  SSPP’s location in the heart of the city on Campbell just north of Speedway across the street from University Medical Center makes it convenient for any family that lives or works in the city.  For example, SSPP is just 0.7 mile from the University of Arizona, 3.1 miles from downtown, 7.1 miles from DMAFB’s Craycroft Gate, 6.0 miles from Skyline & Campbell, and just 4.8 miles from Grant & Silverbell.
The convenience of SSPP’s location is also reflected by the fact that SSPP families come from literally all over Tucson—40% live in Central Tucson, 30% live on the West Side, 11% live in the Foothills or Northwest Tucson, 13% live on the South Side, 3% live in Sahuarita, and 3% on the East Side.

Diversity—Saints Peter & Paul School Looks Like Tucson
It is hard to imagine a more diverse private school community than Saints Peter & Paul.  Organically, without conscious effort, the demographics of the children at Saints Peter & Paul School closely parallel the demographics of Tucson’s Catholic Community.  In case you are wondering, that means SSPP families self identify as 25.5% White, 52% Latino, 1.4% African American, 3.3% Asian American, 2.1% Native American, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 14.7% as Multi-Racial. 
SSPP is not just ethnically diverse. SSPP also strongly reflects the socio-economic diversity of the Tucson area.   For example the most recent survey of families shows a broad distribution of family incomes:

Less than $20,000	10.1%
$20,000-$39,999	24.2%
$40,000-$59,999	24.8%
$60,000-$79,999	14.5%
$80,000-$100,000	11.6%
Over $100,000	14.8%

The same is true in terms of Parent’s highest level of education

Academic Excellence and Religious Service
SSPP features both a traditional classroom experience and innovative academic programs.  From day in day out core methods such as Super Kids reading to Saxon Math, to annual events such as Science Fair (including the consistent strong performances SARSEF), book fair, math decathlon and financial management contests, SSPP students experience a rigorous academic environment.

Although we do not make any effort to “teach to the test” our students consistently perform very well on AIMS testing.  A chart describing the percentage of Saints Peter & Paul Students passing (meets and exceeds the standard) of the Spring 2009 testing is below.

AIMS Scores - Spring Testing 2009

Saints Peter & Paul also has a strong emphasis on religion and religious service.  Students begin every day with religion class.  Many SSPP students and alumni go on to become active Church volunteers both while attending SSPP and long after they graduate.  Numerous young people are Alter Servers, Lectors, Commentators, and go on to serve in church choirs, St. Vincent de Paul society, or as Eucharistic ministers.

Strong Traditional and Cutting Edge Discipline

Traditional Discipline
We believe in teaching students to live in harmony with others, and to obey the laws of God, our country and our school. Saints Peter and Paul demands an attitude of respect and courtesy from its students - "Yes/No Ms., Mrs., or Mr. …," and "Yes/No Father or Sister," "Please," and "Thank you" are important - Good manners are never out of style.   Students attending Saints Peter and Paul School are expected to observe the dress code. As a Catholic school, we want to instill in our children a sense of modesty and decency. Students are expected to willingly obey school regulations concerning times of silence. The school building is a place of serious business and should provide an atmosphere conducive to learning. Occasions are provided during the day to aid the students in social development. However, socializing is not our primary function.

Cutting Edge Discipline Curriculum
SSPP also teaches the Discipline with Purpose curriculum, which is a developmental approach to teaching self-discipline.   The curriculum focuses on teaching 15 essential skills—Listening, Following Instructions, Questioning, Sharing: Time, Space, People and Things, Exhibiting Social Skills, Cooperating with Others, Understanding the Reason for Rules, Independently Completing a Task, Exhibiting Leadership, Communicating Effectively, Organizing: Time, Space, People, Things, Resolving Mutual Problems, Taking the Initiative in Problem Solving, Distinguishing Fact From Feeling, and,  Sacrificing/Serving Others— by modeling skills, pre-teaching about the skills before events occur, infusing the vocabulary and practices into daily classroom life and through specific lesson plans for teaching the skills.

Fabulous Faculty
One of the things that strike you immediately about SSPP’s faculty is the lack of turnover.  The average SSPP teacher has been at the School 7 years.  They’re experienced too with an average of 16 years teaching.  They’re highly educated; roughly half of the faculty has master’s degrees, and every member of the faculty have both state and religious certifications.  More important than this statistical stuff is their clear love for and dedication to our children and our School.  We also have a full time resource teacher, a part time school counselor and a teacher from the University of Notre Dame graduate program called ACE (The Alliance for Catholic Education).

Beautiful Secure Campus
Thanks to the Dedication of the Parent’s Club
From the track and field, to the basketball and volleyball courts, to the “Sandbox” and jungle gym, to the Grammar Hall Court Yard, to the Poet’s Corner, to the beautiful statue of Mary dedicated to the Sisters of Charity who ran the school from 1931 to 2008…to the new central air conditioning, the new Mac Lab Media Center Library, to the PC computer lab, to smart boards,  to the primary grade court yard, Saints Peter & Paul School’s campus is second to none.  It is practical, very beautiful, and very secure with fencing and limited controlled access points.  The campus is the result of years of generosity of parents and local businesses, as well as the blood, sweat and tears of hard working and dedicated Parent’s Association volunteers.

Family Participation Required Every
SSPP family is required to give 68 hours of volunteer time to the School.  Seriously, this is one of the best things about the School.  Families must provide at least 3 hours of volunteer service at the annual Fun Day Carnival.  Each family must also volunteer 65 hours per year.  Although it is possible to donate your way out of these requirements, buy outs are strongly discouraged.  There are literally hundreds of ways to help, including, selling gift cards after Masses on Sundays, lunch monitors, helping teachers in classrooms, crossing guards, assisting with technology, serving on committees, planning and administering fundraising or social events,  Cub Scout den leaders, Boy Scout leaders, Girl Scout leaders, sports transportation and coaching.  There is also a program for families facing an unusual hardship and who do not have the means to pay.  All of this hard work increases our connections to our children, and builds strong community and connection among parents.

Sports, Music and Extras
We love our Crusader sports teams!  SSPP offers Boys and Girls Basketball, Volleyball, and Track.  Father John is always happy to show off the trophy case!  Be sure to stop by when you take a tour of the campus.  There are also mandatory music classes and art classes.  Can you believe it - even the 8th Grade boys sing.  Students may also participate in after school music lessons, chess and scouting organizations.

Tremendous Pastor & Parish Support
Father Lyons is a graduate of Saints Peter & Paul School and is an absolutely passionate supporter of the School.  Fr. Lyons and the other priests from Saints Peter & Paul Parish are visible on campus and are known by all the children.  Not every parish has a second collection two times each month devoted to supporting the children at its School.