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The 2015 Private High School Report Card

by Editorial Staff--South Jersey Magazine

The 2015 Private High School Report Card

Finding the right private school for your child is no easy decision and certainly not one that should be done without some research. That’s why we’ve once again collected information from South Jersey’s finest private high schools to gain accurate statistical data in several key areas like tuition cost, SAT scores, percentage of students attending four-year colleges, percentage of students receiving financial aid, student-to-teacher ratio, and the number of both AP and honors courses offered. We’ve also included a roundup of what’s new around the different campuses and a glimpse into some of the more unique programs you’ll find at each school.

TUITION, PER YEAR
Moorestown Friends: $27,450
Doane Academy: $17,800
St. Augustine: $16,900
Bishop Eustace: $16,400
Our Lady of Mercy Academy: $10,844
Holy Cross: $10,565
Paul VI: $8,945
Gloucester Catholic: $8,775
Camden Catholic: $8,500

SAT: TOTAL SCORE
Moorestown Friends: 1848
St. Augustine: 1707
Bishop Eustace: 1704
Doane Academy: 1660
Paul VI: 1578
Holy Cross: 1530
Our Lady of Mercy Academy : 1527
Gloucester Catholic: 1513
Camden Catholic: N/A

SAT BREAKDOWN
SCHOOL: Math; Critical Reading; Writing
Bishop: 574; 564; 566
Camden Catholic: N/A; N/A; N/A
Doane Academy: 580; 550; 530
Gloucester Catholic: 505; 504; 504
Holy Cross: 523; 501; 506
Moorestown Friends: 623 ; 608 ; 617
Our Lady of Mercy Academy: 497; 515; 515
Paul VI: 529; 520; 529
St. Augustine: 591; 559; 557

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ATTENDING 4-YEAR COLLEGES
Moorestown Friends: 100%
Doane Academy: 99%
St. Augustine: 98%
Bishop Eustace: 96%
Holy Cross: 90%
Our Lady of Mercy Academy: 90%
Camden Catholic: 82%
Paul VI: 82%
Gloucester Catholic: 65%

STUDENT-TO-TEACHER RATIO SCHOOL
Moorestown Friends: 7:1
Our Lady of Mercy Academy: 8:1
Bishop Eustace: 12:1
Camden Catholic: 12:1
St. Augustine: 12:1
Doane Academy: 14:1
Holy Cross: 14:1
Gloucester Catholic: 15:1
Paul VI: 15:1

NUMBER OF AP CLASSES OFFERED
Paul VI: 20
Bishop Eustace: 17
Moorestown Friends: 17
St. Augustine: 15
Camden Catholic: 11
Doane Academy: 10
Holy Cross: 10
Gloucester Catholic: 8
Our Lady of Mercy Academy: 1

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING FINANCIAL AID
St. Augustine: 38%
Doane Academy: 36%
Bishop Eustace: 35%
Camden Catholic: 33%
Gloucester Catholic: 33%
Holy Cross: 26%
Moorestown Friends: 26%
Paul VI: 25%
Our Lady of Mercy Academy : 20%

NUMBER OF HONORS CLASSES OFFERED
Moorestown Friends: 28
St. Augustine: 28
Camden Catholic: 26
Holy Cross: 25
Paul VI: 20
Bishop Eustace: 17
Our Lady of Mercy Academy : 15
Gloucester Catholic: 14
Doane Academy: 12

SCHOOL PRIDE
A look at some of the more unique offerings at South Jersey’s private high schools Collegiate atmosphere Bishop Eustace encourages a college-like atmosphere, where students can roam between six buildings on 32 acres of campus. Some classes don’t meet every day, which allows students time to work in the library or receive individualized instruction from teachers.

Developing leaders
Moorestown Friends’ Peer Leadership program provides seniors the opportunity to work with freshmen as mentors. The goal is to give a platform for the older students to model cultivate positive character traits in areas like academic honesty, coping with stress and study skills.
Over at Paul VI, their Play Like a Champion Today program is a partnership with the University of Notre Dame that works with students, coaches, moderators and parents to develop ethically responsible student leaders and to promote character development through all extracurricular activities.
The Leadership Academy at Camden Catholic teaches students skills found in the fields of positive psychology and resilience in an effort to develop life-long learners and leaders. Each student is required to complete two modules, which teach positive psychology or leadership skills and concepts, as part of graduation requirements.

Honoring traditions
The first day of school at Doane Academy is a spectacle as the entire student body along with faculty, family and alumni gather on the bank of the Delaware River to officially kick off the year by welcoming the senior class as they arrive by canoe.

Building partnerships
Gloucester Catholic has a partnership with Rowan College at Gloucester County that enables students to take any one of 18 different online college courses offered such as intro to business, principles of sociology and intro to political science. The school has also joined forces with the University of Notre Dame’s Graduate School Echo Program and Saint Joseph’s University’s Alliance for Catholic Education. This allows recent college graduates the opportunity to serve as full-time teachers and administrators in Catholic schools while pursuing a master’s degree.
At Holy Cross, the school has collaborated with Seton Hall and Rowan University at Burlington County College for their College Credit Program. This allows students to earn college credits for specific honors and advanced placement courses. Students can earn up to 32 college credits before graduation and the courses are acceptable to transfer to more than 300 colleges and universities across the country.

Beyond the classroom
The Third Semester Program at St. Augustine features faculty-designed courses to help develop students’ curiosity and creativity while broadening their interest and talents. This is done through service, professional experiences and academic research. And during freshman and sophomore years, each young man is paired with a faculty advisor to help them transition into the prep educational environment.

What's New Around Campus

BISHOP EUSTACE
Lulli Library was renovated over the summer and now features an updated computer lab with new workstations for students.

CAMDEN CATHOLIC
The Pisa Dining Hall underwent a major renovation and now operates more like a collegiate space for students. The school continues to raise funds for the ongoing $6 million Campaign for the Future, with the next project being the transformation of the school library into the Hocker Information Commons, which will offer multi-media equipped conference rooms.

DOANE ACADEMY
Rowan Hall is nearing completion. The facility will add a dozen state-of-the-art classrooms, as well as administrative and other offices. The construction of the hall was made possible by a personal gift from philanthropists Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rowan. The school has also welcomed a new headmaster this year, George B. Sanderson.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC
Gloucester Catholic athletics finally has a home of its own by way of the new Patrick Peyton Athletic Complex, which opened this fall providing practice and playing fields for the Rams’ fall and spring sports teams. The 25-acre site is adjacent to Rowan College at Gloucester County.

OUR LADY OF MERCY ACADEMY
The school has welcomed new faculty members including a new theology teacher, a new physical education teacher and a new art and design teacher. They have also expanded course selections to include criminal justice, engineering, women in history, advanced art, journalism, great books, public speaking and debate.

PAUL VI
The cafeteria has been transformed into a casual dining café with a bistro-style counter. In addition, the media center has been upgraded to include new tables and chairs, individual study corrals and computer stations and the walls have been replaced with glass to offer panoramic views of the campus.

ST. AUGUSTINE
New this year, each student will choose an academic concentration to provide more direction in selecting their electives. There will also be more opportunities for semester versus full-year courses, better career path planning and enhanced course sequences leading to college majors and career paths.

Photo: St. Augustine

Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 7 (October, 2015).
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