Prince of Peace schools provide Christ-centered education focused on academic growth, personal responsibility, service, leadership, and the development of each student’s God-given gifts. Their educational programs range from early learning and preschool through elementary, middle, and upper school, depending on the campus.
Prince of Peace prioritizes student success through a culture of diversity, student engagement, and self responsibility. Here, students learn to find joy in what makes individuals different - and what brings them together in Christ. The school encourages students to take ahold of their futures and rise to meet the challenges and joys that life brings.
Mission and educational philosophy
Recognizing each child as a unique image of God, the student is always the focus of Prince of Peace School. Staff works with students from a wide variety of backgrounds, preparing them to succeed with a strong foundation in English and core curriculum subjects.
The mission of Prince of Peace Catholic School is to teach children to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We strive to nurture in our students a love for learning and the joy of discovery, inner discipline and self-confidence, respect for self, others and the environment, individual academic excellence, and a desire to serve.
Prince of Peace Catholic School is a multi-aged, child-centered community operating on the principles of freedom within limits and respect for each person and the environment.
As a Parish ministry, Prince of Peace Catholic School nurtures the academic, social, emotional, physical, moral and spiritual growth of all children to reach their highest potential. In partnership with our families and faith community, we empower our students to become mature, responsible, and productive members of our society who, enlightened by their faith, will go forth to serve God and better their community.
What defines the Prince of Peace experience
Welcomed
Every student at Prince of Peace Christian School is Welcomed. Prince of Peace is a warm, Christ-centered learning environment. We stand firmly on Biblical principles and values, and we welcome all families seeking a Christian education for their children.
The school’s emphasis on welcome is connected with its understanding of every child as a unique image of God. Students are supported as individuals while also being encouraged to participate in a community shaped by faith, learning, and service.
Known
Known POPCS is a place where students are fully known and supported. Faculty and staff value each student's unique nature and are dedicated to their academic success.
Personal attention to students ensures that they are challenged appropriately, encouraged and guided in their learning, and loved through their challenges.
Connected
Connected Our students are connected and involved. At POPCS, there are countless opportunities to discover leadership abilities, through student-led clubs, community service projects, athletics, through the arts, or in the classroom.
These opportunities are designed to cultivate a well-rounded person. Students can develop interests beyond the standard curriculum while learning to work with others, accept responsibility, and contribute to the life of their school and wider community.
Prepared
Prepared Our academic programs are designed to allow students to chart individual paths that meet their own needs and goals.
Starting with a strong foundation in preschool, students progress through advanced and supportive programs in lower and middle school. In upper school, they choose from college prep, honors, and AP classes, tailoring their journey for success, and ensuring that they are prepared for the future.
Educational programs by age and division
Early Learning Center
The Early Learning Center is a Christ-centered alternative to traditional daycare. The Early Learning Center is devoted to the developmental needs of children from six weeks through two years old.
Unlike an ordinary daycare environment, we provide a setting that stimulates early developmental growth, encourages sensory play and prepares children as they begin to learn about God.
Preschool
Preschool provides a nurturing school environment for preschool aged children. Young children learn by doing, and the Preschool provides hands-on activities and close interaction with teachers.
The curriculum is carefully planned with fun activities that promote cognitive development, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. Most importantly, through these fun activities, children begin to develop a love for learning.
Lower School
The Lower School offers Christ-centered private school education for Kindergarten Prep through Grade 5.
A fundamental aspect of Prince of Peace Christian-Lower School is to inspire and cultivate intellectual curiosity and a life-long love of learning. We offer a Christ-centered private school education with a solid foundation of academic excellence rich in hands-on, inquiry-based experiences where students not only learn facts but how to apply the knowledge in real-world applications.
Middle School
The Middle School program encourages academic excellence, service, and leadership. The primary objective in the Middle School program is achieving academic excellence in a community of service and leadership.
Our faculty and staff partner with students and families to provide the best possible educational experience. Personal attention to students ensures that they are challenged appropriately, encouraged and guided in their learning, and loved through their challenges.
Upper School
The Upper School focuses on growing in knowledge, walking in faith, leading with courage and compassion, and seeking to serve.
The Upper School prepares students academically, nurtures them in the Christian faith, challenges them to be upright citizens in their communities, and equips them to accomplish meaningful work that helps others.
Academics and preparation for the future
Prince of Peace schools combine a strong academic foundation with opportunities for students to follow individual educational paths. Students are supported as they develop core knowledge, intellectual curiosity, problem-solving skills, confidence, and the ability to apply what they learn.
In upper school, students can select college prep, honors, and AP classes. These options allow students to tailor their educational journey to their own needs and goals while preparing for the next stage of their education.
| Academic feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Students enrolled in advanced and AP Capstone programs | 275+ |
| College acceptance rate | 100% |
| Average student-teacher ratio | 1:12 |
| Teaching faculty with advanced degrees | 50 Percentage |
We are preparing students to be focused and motivated so that they are ready for the next step in their educational journey.
As teachers, we have a front row seat to see who God is creating kids to be through the experiences that we provide here.
Student life, leadership, and service
At Prince of Peace, students have countless opportunities to discover and develop leadership abilities. Student-led clubs, community service projects, athletics, the arts, and classroom activities all contribute to a broad educational experience.
The school’s approach is designed to cultivate a well-rounded person. Students can explore their interests, build relationships, practice leadership, and learn how their talents can be used to serve others.
| Student life opportunity | Available information |
|---|---|
| Extracurriculars and after-school programming | 50 |
| Community events for families | 75+ |
| Church affiliations represented | 106 |
| Zip codes represented | 69+ |
POPCS has provided strong academics, the opportunity to be an athlete, and the option to participate in many clubs.
I love Prince of Peace because of the community and the friends that I have made.
Arts, athletics, and campus opportunities
Prince of Peace provides opportunities for students to develop their God-given gifts in the arts, athletics, leadership, service, and academic life.
Arts at POPCS celebrates students and their God-given gifts in the Arts. Eagle Athletics is driven by faith and inspired by excellence.
POPCS boasts a 27 acre campus with 12 acres of athletic facilities and fields, a state-of-the-art Fine Arts Center, dining hall, 2 SmartLabs, and more!
The campus facilities support both classroom learning and activities outside the classroom. Athletic fields, arts spaces, technology-focused learning areas, and community facilities give students different ways to participate and grow.
Family and school community
Prince of Peace schools view education as a partnership among students, families, faculty, staff, parish communities, and the wider community.
Your kids aren't just known, but they're celebrated. and it's not just your kids. all kids are celebrated. And that is really special.
At Prince of Peace, we do all things with love. We use our gifts and talents to reach others in our own school family as well as those in our community.
Students are encouraged to become mature, responsible, and productive members of society. Their education is intended not only to support academic achievement but also to help them serve God and improve their communities.
Faith formation and Catholic identity
Above all, our school is grounded in a shared faith experience and a dedication to Catholic social teaching, which is led by our Pastor and fostered by our teachers and families.
Faith is integrated into the educational experience through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Biblical principles, Christian values, Catholic social teaching, prayer, service, and participation in the life of the faith community.
The Upper School nurtures students in the Christian faith, challenges them to be upright citizens in their communities, and equips them to accomplish meaningful work that helps others.
Prince of Peace Catholic schools in Madison and Jefferson County
Catholic schools in Madison, Indiana extend back to a Sunday in mid-July 1837 when Fr. Michael Edgar Shawe became Madison’s first resident Catholic priest and founded St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church.
Father Shawe, the first Priest ordained in Indiana, had arrived to minister to Madison’s growing population of Irish Catholics; many of whom were believed to be brought to Madison for the building of the first railroad in Indiana, the Madison-Indianapolis Railroad.
Father Shawe remained in Madison two short years before accepting a teaching position at a new Catholic University in the frontier settlement town of South Bend, Indiana. Father Shawe taught at the University of Notre Dame du Lac until his untimely death in 1853.
Development of Catholic education in Madison
In 1952, the Catholic parishes of Jefferson County announced the beginning of a campaign for the new Catholic High School in Madison. Driven by the efforts of Father Hilary Meny.
Parishioners came together again a few years later in an effort to combine the two elementary schools in to one, Pope John XXIII Elementary.
Founded in 1954, Shawe Memorial is a co-educational Catholic school for grades 7-12 and is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
It is through the students, parents, faculty, and administration that Shawe Memorial continues the tradition of excellence in Catholic education. Shawe Memorial offers a quality, college-preparatory education for over 175 students in Madison and surrounding communities.
Catholic education has been a part of the Madison/Jefferson County community since the early 1800s and has been an important education option for the ongoing educational and economic development of the Madison area.
Pope John XXIII Elementary offers a strong traditional education, while emphasizing the Catholic faith. Pope John XXIII was dedicated in 1966 and serves grades PreK- 6th with a very active preschool program.
Campus and parish connection
The 20-acre school campus encompasses St. Patrick’s Chapel, Pope John XXIII Elementary & Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School, an office building housing administrative offices and the Parish pastoral staff, the playground, athletic fields including a baseball/softball complex, tennis courts and soccer field, and an outdoor environmental laboratory.
Shawe Memorial and Pope John XXIII are the only primary/secondary (PreK-12) school combination in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis supported by one parish.
The Catholic school community is connected with parish life and supports the spiritual, academic, social, and community development of children from preschool through secondary education.
Prince of Peace Catholic School in Hoover
Prince of Peace Catholic School serves over 485 students in grades PreK through eighth.
We have been voted Best School in Hoover, been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and continue to earn Cognia Accreditation.
The school’s mission connects academic, social, emotional, physical, moral, and spiritual growth with service to God and the community. Students are encouraged to develop their highest potential in partnership with their families and faith community.
We light the candles, they light the world.
How students are prepared
Students at Prince of Peace are prepared through a combination of rigorous and supportive academics, personal attention, faith formation, leadership opportunities, service, athletics, arts, and community involvement.
Students learn to take responsibility for their futures and to meet life’s challenges and joys. They are encouraged to develop self-confidence, inner discipline, respect for others and the environment, intellectual curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.
Your kids aren't just known, but they're celebrated. and it's not just your kids. all kids are celebrated. And that is really special.