The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS) is intended to describe how the most mission-driven, program effective, well managed, and responsibly governed Catholic schools operate. They are offered as school effectiveness standards rather than curriculum content standards, although they support curriculum development consistent with national curriculum standards.

The NSBECS contains three types of statements grounded in Church teachings, best practice, and proven success of those committed to the future of Catholic elementary and secondary education in the United States.  The nine Defining Characteristics define the deep Catholic identity of Catholic schools and serve as the platform on which the standards and benchmarks rest. The thirteen Standards describe policies, programs, structures, and processes that should be present in Catholic schools in four Domains: Mission and Catholic Identity, Governance and Leadership, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality.  The seventy Benchmarks provide observable, measurable descriptors for each standard.