Click here for our Official School Profile
Location
Padua Franciscan High School is located at 6740 State Road in Parma, Ohio; it can be reached from I-77 via the Pleasant Valley Road exit. Travel west on Pleasant Valley Road to State Road; turn north. The school is on the west side, approximately one mile north of Pleasant Valley Road.
From I-71 North or South: Exit at Bagley Road (Pleasant Valley Road), travel east on Bagley/Pleasant Valley to State Road, turn north on State, travel one mile to the high school.
From I-480: Exit at State Road, travel south approximately three miles to the high school.
Administrative Team
President: Mr. David G. Stec ’86
Principal: Mr. Bob DiRocco
Vice Principal: Mrs. Elizabeth Oles Smith
Assistant Principal of Young Men: Mr. Chris Dziedzicki ’02
Assistant Principal of Young Women: Mrs. Mary Zolkowski
Director of Counseling: Mrs. Amanda Ortiz Byrnes
Director of Campus Ministry: Miss Sarah Jesse ’12
Director of Athletics: Mr. Kevin Leigh ’89
Vice President of Enrollment: Ann Marie Frattare ’94
Vice President of Strategic Communication: Mrs. Rachel (Teron) DeGirolamo ’02
Vice President of Mission & Ministry: Mr. Stephen Suding
High School Facts
Founded in 1961, Padua Franciscan High School is a coed college preparatory high school with approximately 780 students. The school year consists of two 90-day semesters with four 9-week grading periods. The school day consists of eight 41-minute periods and a 26-minute lunch period. Administrators, faculty, counselors and staff total 130. Fifty-five have a master’s degree or beyond and several hold a PH.D.
Accreditations
Padua is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, as well as the Ohio Catholic Accrediting Association. Padua holds a college preparatory charter from the State of Ohio. Additionally, Padua is the first traditional high school in America to receive full accreditation from the American International Accreditation Association of Schools and Colleges (AIAASC).
Graduation Requirements
A total of 25 credits are required for graduation, including:
4 credits: Theology, English and Mathematics
3 credits: Lab Science and Social Studies
2 credits: World Languages
1 1/2 credits: Electives
1 credit: Fine Arts
1/2 credit: Physical Education, Health, Computer Science, Freshman Orientation, Financial Literacy (starting with the class of 2026)
All Padua Franciscan students are required to perform yearly Christian Service.
Padua offers 40 Honors classes and 15 Advanced Placement classes.
Counseling
Six certified counselors provide a comprehensive counseling program.
Click here for Counseling Department details.
Special Services
Learning Disability and Remedial Services are available.
Click here for more information about our L.D. Program.
College Representatives
Padua Franciscan High School welcomes college representatives. Please contact Counseling Department secretary at least three weeks in advance.
Click here for our Official School Profile
Instituted with the entry of the Class of 2013, MedTrack is an advanced science and math program for highly motivated students with strong interest in one of the myriad of careers in healthcare. Combining a spirituality rooted in the lives of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi with both a rigorous academic curriculum and many hours of direct contact experiences with a range of healthcare professionals, the program seeks to prepare students in the Franciscan healing tradition for a lifetime of service in careers related to science and medicine.