Bishop Garrigan Schools is a Catholic school in Algona, a small, rural town in north central Iowa. It serves Preschool through 12th grade on two separate campuses. We also operate a full time Daycare Program. Bishop Garrigan welcomes students from outside its corporation parishes. We have students from as far away as Emmetsburg, Britt, Livermore, Swea City, and Thompson, many who were members of Protestant churches and of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths, as well as Roman Catholics.
Preschool through 2nd grade and Bear Care Daycare are found at the Seton Campus. The Garrigan Campus is home to 3rd grade through 12th grade. The curriculum is well integrated throughout the system.
Bishop Garrigan has traditionally been among the least expensive private schools in the Sioux City Diocese. Work study, tuition assistance, and time payment programs are available for families who find it difficult to pay the tuition amount. The bulk of tuition costs at Garrigan is paid by the member parishes, through the contributions of their parishioners. The BGHS Development Office also raises funds that help to keep the cost of tuition as low as possible. No one is ever turned away from Bishop Garrigan or Seton for inability to pay.
Garrigan's faculty is well trained and professional. All of the school's teachers are certified in the areas they teach, and about half have master's degrees. Several staff members have also taught at the college level, and college credit is available for some of the high school courses taught on-site at Garrigan. Almost every teacher works with extra-curricular activities.
Bishop Garrigan Schools are fully accredited by the State of Iowa Department of Education, as well as by the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City. Garrigan and Seton students score above state and national averages on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development. High School students also score above the national average on the ACT, even though virtually all the school's students take that test.
Each year BGHS students receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships, including many awards that are available exclusively to Garrigan graduates. More than 90% of BGHS students continue to further their education, and the majority graduate from a four-year colleges. Although most of Garrigan's graduates choose colleges in Iowa or neighboring states, others have chosen selective schools in all regions of the country, including the Naval and Air Force Academies.
BGHS competes in almost every activity available to Iowa students. A full range of Golden Bear athletic programs are available to both boys and girls, and in general all students who go out for sports are given an opportunity to play. The school competes in Class A or 1A, depending on the sport. In recent years the Bears have made it to the state tournament in football, cross-country, basketball, dance, track and golf. Many Golden Bears have been awarded scholarships to play sports in college, including at Division I universities.
The Golden Bears also excel at non-athletic activities. Bishop Garrigan has an extremely successful quiz bowl program, which has made numerous trips to national tournaments. The school's dance team has won several national and state championships. Members of the health occupations team have also repeatedly qualified for nationals, and the Golden Bear math team has made it to the Midwest regional competition. Garrigan students consistently are nominated for the All-State Speech Festival. There are also extra-curricular programs in vocal and instrumental music, math competition, drama, art, broadcasting, publications, composition, foreign language, business, social studies, student government, and religious service. Garrigan graduates have competed at the college level in virtually every activity, and the school's alumni include professional musicians (including the lead singer for the nationally-known a cappella group Tonic Sol Fa), writers, artists, actors, broadcasters, scientists, and business leaders who use the skills the gained in their high school classes and activities.
We encourage you to explore our website to learn more about Bishop Garrigan Schools. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact us.